Melanie Jones of The Columbia Spectator is writing a weekly review on Thursdays called the 50 States of Literature. She is giving “a list of 50 books that we think capture the essence of each state, all while telling a great story along the way.” So far she’s written about books for twelve states (click on the title for her review):
- Alabama – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Alaska – The Man Who Swam With Beavers by Nancy Lord
- Arizona – The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
- Colorado – Plainsong by Kent Haruf
- Georgia – Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones
- Hawaii – Heads by Harry by Lois-ann Yamanaka
- Louisiana – Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
- Maryland – A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler
- Michigan - The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
- North Dakota – Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
- Vermont – The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- West Virginia Strange as This Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake
What do you think of her choices so far? Of those listed, I think To Kill a Mockingbird and Peace Like a River are perfect. I didn’t care at all for Plainsong, but I could have been biased because the setting of the book is in northeastern Colorado where I grew up. I liked a few aspects of the book, but overall was underwhelmed.
Is there a particular book you think embodies the essence of your state?
For more ideas for each state, another good resource is Bonnie’s Book around the States.
