Best of the Chippewa Valley

Reader Polls

The Best of the Chippewa Valley 2022

The Best of the Chippewa Valley 2023

The Best of the Chippewa Valley 2024

Best Local Book Released In The Last Year

Check out New York Times bestselling author (and Chippewa Valley favorite) Michael Perry and his recent collection, Big Boy’s Big Rig: The Leftovers. Voted No. 1 by our readers, this collection features fresh commentary by Perry on some of his earliest essays. History lovers, crack open The Grey Eagles of Chippewa Falls – A Hidden History of a Women’s Klu Klux Klan in Wisconsin, by John E. Kinville. This second-place winner unveils a dark chapter of Chippewa Valley history from the 1920s and ’30s. In third place, we find yet another collection by Perry, Peaceful Persistence, which offers essays on – well, just about everything! Finally, an honorable mention goes to local humorist Larry Heagle’s memoir, Not Really Sane, Not Really Sorry: Tales of an Itinerant Performer, which missed the No. 3 spot by only a few votes. –Julie Quinn