The polls are open: Time to vote on 2022’s One Book — One Lincoln selection | Local

The 17 well-read volunteers succeeded. And on Monday, in what’s become a holiday tradition, Lincoln City Libraries released the community reading program’s finalists:

“Sparks Like Stars,” Nadia Hashimi. A novel about an Afghan American woman’s return to Kabul in a quest to uncover answers about the events that tore her family from her.

“I found myself eagerly following her adventure in a way I hadn’t remembered in a long time — the way a child reads a new book about the unknown, impatient for the next twist and turn of the story, worried about the safety of the heroine, wondering if I could be as brave and bold as her,” a reviewer for NPR wrote.

“Hell of a Book,” Jason Mott. Described as heartbreaking and magical, this novel follows a Black author on his cross-country book tour, a child dealing with racial violence and The Kid, who might just be a figment of the author’s imagination.

“In revealing how these characters’ lives intersect,” Time magazine wrote, “Mott unveils a twisty and startling narrative about the blurry lines between reality and fiction.”

“The Lincoln Highway,” Amor Twos. Set in the 1950s, this 600-page novel chronicles the 10-day journey of a group of boys — just out of reform school — from Nebraska to New York, and the detours they take along the way.

“Though dark shadows fall across its final chapters, the book is permeated with light, wit, youth. Many novels this size are telescopes, but this big book is a microscope, focused on a small sample of a vast whole,” the New York Times wrote.

Now it’s the community’s turn to start reading, and voting for the top title. Ballots are available at lincolnlibraries.org, and the deadline is Aug. 27. The winner is typically announced Labor Day weekend.

The books are available in print, compact disc, downloadable audio and ebook formats, but the library recommends making reservations through its websitebecause the titles will be in demand.

Last year’s finalists were checked out more than 3,500 times, in print and electronic formats, and the winning book, “Hidden Valley Road,” was 2021’s most checked-out nonfiction title.