On this episode of Talk of Iowa, it’s the official 2021 All Iowa Reads selections announcement! Host Charity Nebbe is joined by Angie Manfredi, chair of the teens and kids All Iowa Reads selection committees and Jillian Rutledge, co-chair of the All Iowa Reads adult selection committee for a look at the three books selected for next year.
The Iowa Center for the Book first selected an All Iowa Reads title in 2003, with the goal of fostering a sense of community across the state through reading. In 2018, the center expanded its selection process to include teens and kids along with making their annual adult pick.
All Iowa Reads 2021 Selections
- Adult selection: “Little Faith” by Nicholas Butler
- Teen selection: “Patron Saints of Nothing” by Randy Ribay
- Kids selection: “Pie In the Sky” by Remy Lai
All Iowa Reads 2021 short list:
Adults
- “After the Flood” by Kassandra Montag
- “Arrowood: A Novel" by Laura McHugh
- “The Heap: A Novel” by Sean Adams
- “How to Forget: A Daughter's Memoir” by Kate Mulgrew
- “Prairie Fever” by Michael Parker
Teens
- “We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide” by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden
- “Sorry for Your Loss” by Jessie Ann Foley
- “Like A Love Story” by Abdi Nazemian
- “Hearts Unbroken” by Cynthia Leitich Smith
- “This Time Will Be Different” by Misa Sugiura
Kids
- “Each Tiny Spark” by Pablo Cartaya
- “I Can Make This Promise” by Christine Day
- “The Last Last-Day-of-Summer” by Lamar Giles
- “The Best At It” by Maulik Pancholy
- “Cog” by Greg van Eekhout
Guests:
- Angie Manfredi, youth services consultant and chair of the teens and kids All Iowa Reads selection committees
- Jillian Rutledge, public services manager, Waterloo Public Library and co-chair of the All Iowa Reads adult selection committee
