One Book One Nebraska
Launch the media gallery 1 playerLaunched each January, this dynamic program cultivates a culture of reading and discussion in our state by bringing our diverse state together around one great book by a Nebraska author.
History
The notion of one book/one city (state, county, church, etc.) was the brainchild of the now famous Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl. The idea of city-wide reading programs started in Seattle in 1998 with the program “If All Seattle Read the Same Book” initiated by the Washington Center for the Book, located at the Seattle Public Library. The Library of Congress’ Center for the Book reports that “One Book” programs have been introduced across the USA and around the world. The Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, Nebraska Library Association, and Humanities Nebraska (formerly Nebraska Humanities Council) spearheaded the One Book One Nebraska initiative in 2005.
Philosophy
Reading great literature provokes us to think about ourselves, our environment and our relationships. Talking about great literature with friends, families and neighbors often adds richness and depth to the experience of reading.
The Nebraska Center for the Book believes One Book One Nebraska demonstrates how books and reading connect people across time and place. Each year, Nebraska communities come together through literature in community-wide reading programs to explore a classic work by one of Nebraska’s best-loved authors, or a book with a Nebraska setting.
Selecting a work by a Nebraska author or set in Nebraska celebrates the state’s literary heritage.
Nominate a Book
The Nebraska Center for the Book invites recommendations for One Book One Nebraska book selection. The Center for the Book will consider books written by a Nebraska author (living or dead/with current or former residence in the state,) or that have a Nebraska theme or setting. Books should have a broad appeal to readers across Nebraska and lend well to group book discussion. Books may be fiction, non-fiction, biography, memoir, or poetry. They must be in print and readily available. The Center for the Book strongly suggests that anyone who nominates a text should have read it.
Nominations can now be submitted year-round! The annual deadline is May 31. Nominations received after the deadline will be considered in the following year. To nominate a book for 2026 One Book One Nebraska, you can fill out this Online Form. Recommendations may also be sent via the U.S. Postal Service to:
Nebraska Center for the Book
One Book One Nebraska
c/o Nebraska Library Commission Reference Services
The Atrium
1200 N Street, Ste 120
Lincoln, NE 68505-2023
2026 Selection: The Antidote by Karen Russell
Crete Public Library
1515 Forest Ave.
Crete, NE 68333
Phone: 402.826.3809
librarystaff@crete.ne.gov