PORTLAND, Ore. — September 1, 2026 — Multnomah County Library has selected The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich for Everybody Reads 2027. This year’s signature community reading project marks 25 years of the Everybody Reads program. Celebrate this momentous occasion beginning this January by picking up a copy of The Mighty Red at Multnomah County library locations. And join fun programs leading up to Louise Erdrich’s Portland author talk, hosted by Literary Arts on March 18, 2027, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. This special event concludes months of engaging library programs surrounding the book and its themes.
Library Director Annie Lewis reflects, “For 25 years, Multnomah County Library’s Everybody Reads program has invited readers across the community to open the same books, share stories, have conversations, and discover what happens when an entire county reads together. What began as a simple idea, that books have the power to bridge differences and spark conversation, has grown into a beloved community tradition.”
The Mighty Red is a novel about people who dream, grow up, fall in love, struggle, endure tragedy, and carry bitter secrets. You’ll meet characters who are complicated and contradictory, flawed and decent, lonely and hopeful. Concepts of time are explored alongside the impact of crises in our own time—climate change, the depletion of natural resources, the economic meltdown of 2008. It is a story about our tattered bond with the earth, community, and love in all of its absurdity and splendor.
Pick up a free copy to keep of The Mighty Red or check-out an always available copy on Libby starting this January. The library will distribute 9,000 copies of the book through libraries and high schools across Multnomah County early next year as part of the project.
Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, is an author of many novels as well as volumes of poetry and children’s books. Erdrich’s books have won awards, including the National Book Award for Fiction, National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, and the Pulitzer Prize. Erdrich lives in Minnesota with her daughters and is the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore.
Everybody Reads, a community reading project of Multnomah County Library, is made possible in part by The Library Foundation with author appearance made possible by Literary Arts.
