As part of the 2025 Library of Congress’s National Book Festival’s Festival Near You, explore Great Reads from Great Places selections chosen by various state affiliates of the Center for the Book.
Adult Reads
Authors, books and states featured:
- [ALABAMA] James Seay Brown “Distracted by Alabama: Tangled Threads of Natural History, Local History, and Folklore”
- [ARKANSAS] Eli Cranor “Mississippi Blue 42”
- [KANSAS] David D. Schafer, Todd Mildfelt “Abolitionist of the Most Dangerous Kind: James Montgomery and His War on Slavery”
- [LOUISIANA] Ken Wells “Gumbo Life: A Journey Down the Roux Bayou”
- [TENNESSEE] Kevin Wilson “Run for the Hills”
Youth Reads
Authors, books and states featured:
- [ARKANSAS] Jennifer Swanson “Up Periscope! How Engineer Raye Montague Revolutionized Shipbuilding”
- [KANSAS] Fran Borin “The Spirit of Quindaro”
- [KENTUCKY] Amanda Driscoll “Under Anna’s Umbrella”
- [LOUISIANA] Paul Siefken “Vernon Poche & The Ghosts of New Orleans: A Novel”
- [MISSOURI] Adib Khorram “Bijan Always Winsl”
- [TENNESSEE] Doan Phuong Nguyen “A Two-Placed Heart”