This is Billie Voss with the Sioux City Public Library, and you’re listening to Check It Out.
Today, I am recommending Buckeye by Patrick Ryan, a Read with Jenna book club pick and one of our 2026 Adult Summer Reading book selections.
Set over the course of multiple generations from pre- WWII to the 1980’s, the story follows two married couples whose lives intertwine and collide. Cal Jenkins longs to join the cause defending his country in the throws of WWII, but a birth defect keeps him in his small town of Bonhomie, Ohio. He meets his wife Becky, a psychic medium, and they begin their married life. Margaret Salt is a beautiful redhead raised in an orphanage in Columbus, Ohio. She makes her way in the world as best she can, until she meets Felix Salt, a handsome young man who soon proposes. Felix is a quiet and complex man, harboring secrets. He hopes his marriage to Margaret will help him sort out his life, which is riddled with confusion. The couple eventually relocates to the town of Bonhomie.
On May 8, 1945, Cal is working a shift at the hardware store when Margaret stumbles in. Together, they listen to President Truman announce the Allied victory in Europe over the wireless. In excitement, Margaret throws her arms around Cal and kisses him, taking Cal by surprise. This seemingly innocent encounter changes the course of both couple’s lives.
Check out “Buckeye” by Patrick Ryan at your Sioux City Public Library.
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