The Most Iconic Book Set in Every State

Alabama

Set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s, Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the classic books set in every state. In fact, it’s a staple of middle and high school reading lists across the country. The town of Maycomb is fictional, but it was based on the real-life location of Monroeville, Alabama, where Lee was born and raised. Even though it was published more than 50 years ago, the novel’s themes of race, justice, morality and compassion are as relevant as ever.

Alaska

Into the Wild is Jon Krakauer’s harrowing tale of Chris McCandless, a young man who hitchhikes to Alaska and then into the woods—alone—north of Mt. McKinley. McCandless, who came from a wealthy family, had donated a large sum of money and abandoned his earthly possessions before beginning his pilgrimage. Four months later, a moose hunter found his body in the woods. In this nonfiction tale, Krakauer explores themes of survival and materialism as he searches for answers as to why McCandless yearned to start a new life.

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Arizona

Cormac McCarthy’s epic novel tells the story of a young runaway—aptly named “the kid”—who encounters a gang of outlaws that massacres Native Americans for bounty along the U.S.-Mexican border. Blood Meridian‘s setting in Arizona provides a vivid backdrop for the story. This is a grim, violent novel, but one that taps into the mythology and history of the “Wild West.”

Arkansas

This autobiography of American writer and poet Maya Angelou delves into gritty themes like racism and overcoming adversity as well as timeless topics such as self-identity, love and sexuality. Written in 1969, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings hearkens back to Angelou’s childhood in Stamps, Arkansas, starting when she was 3 years old, and ends after she gives birth as a teen. As the book progresses, readers bear witness to Angelou’s transformation from a victim of racial and social prejudice to a strong, independent woman.

California

There are many well-known books set in California, and like other John Steinbeck novels, East of Eden is set in the Salinas Valley in the northern part of the state, which is used as the backdrop for the struggle between good and evil. In this novel, Steinbeck tells the story of two brothers, Adam and Charles Trask, and their tumultuous, competitive relationship. Widely considered Steinbeck’s magnum opus, East of Eden reimagines the book of Genesis, complete with themes of jealousy, betrayal and innocence lost.

Colorado

The Shining was Stephen King’s first bestseller, and it’s easy to see why. This 1977 novel tells the story of the Torrance family, including Jack, Wendy and their 5-year-old son Danny, and their fateful stay at the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies—a fictional version of the real-life Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Following in the footsteps of horror masters like Edgar Allan Poe, The Shining blends supernatural and psychological terror into one spine-tingling plot.

Connecticut

The cultural term “Stepford wife,” used to describe an overly obedient, subservient wife, has its origin in the 1972 satirical novel The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin. The novel tells the story of Joanna and Walter Eberhart, who move with their two children to the Connecticut suburbs. Joanna, a photographer, soon becomes suspicious of the flawless, idyllic women in their neighborhood. When she investigates, she learns that these picture-perfect women are not women at all; rather, they’re androids, created by the husbands in the neighborhood as replacements for their aging, defiant human spouses.

Delaware

This 1996 novel by Chuck Palahniuk spawned both a cult-classic movie and the infamous quote “The first rule of Fight Club is: You don’t talk about Fight Club.” It tells the story of an anonymous narrator who is battling insomnia when he meets another young man, Tyler Durden. The two start a bare-knuckle “fight club” as a form of psychotherapy, which leads to an awakening—as well as acts of civil disobedience and violence—in the narrator’s life. While Fight Club takes place in an unnamed Delaware city, it’s widely thought to be Wilmington.

Florida

This 1937 novel by Zora Neale Hurston tells the story of Janie Crawford’s transformation from a quiet, disadvantaged African American teen into a woman who is in charge of her own destiny. While Their Eyes Were Watching God was not well received when it was first published, today it is regarded as a critical piece of African American literature, particularly because of its themes of race, gender, love, jealousy and fate versus free will. The book primarily takes place in Eatonville, Florida, as well as the Everglades, which the characters refer to as “the muck.”

Georgia

Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell’s sweeping 1936 epic about the Civil War, remains one of the most famous novels in all of American literature. Set in both Clayton County and Atlanta, Georgia, it introduces feisty teenager Scarlett O’Hara, who is secretly in love with her neighbor, Ashley Wilkes. The quintessential Georgian novel, the book follows a family that watches its dreams turn to dust through a series of wartime tragedies. Gone with the Wind is not only one of the best books set in every state, it’s also a movie with good clothes that’s worth watching for that reason alone.

Hawaii

The Descendants, the 2007 debut novel of Kaui Hart Hemmings, tells the story of the King family, whose luck has turned for the worse. Native Hawaiian Matt King’s wife Joanie is on life support after a boating accident, and their two daughters are rebelling, with the older one recovering from a drug addiction. While honoring Joanie’s living will, the Kings are forced to confront their own demons and emotions and, perhaps, grow as a family. The heavy topics of the novel stand in stark contrast to the gorgeous scenery of Hawaii.

Idaho

Set in the isolated logging camps of northern Idaho, In the Wilderness is poet Kim Barnes’s account of her youth and journey into adulthood. Her vivid language brings breathtaking Idaho scenery to life, to the point where the backdrop serves as a character in the story. This extraordinary memoir also demonstrates how geography can shape our lives. It was a 1997 Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of the 1995 PEN/Jerard Fund Award.

Illinois

Though this 2003 book is historical nonfiction, it reads like a gripping novel. The Devil in the White City is set in Chicago during the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and intertwines two stories. The first is that of powerful World’s Fair architect Daniel Burnham, who faced countless challenges constructing the spectacle. The second is the narrative of H.H. Holmes, who lured fairgoers to their deaths in his “Murder Castle” and is considered one of America’s first serial killers.

Indiana

This instant classic by John Green tells the story of 16-year-old Hazel Lancaster, who has cancer. While at a support group that she’s forced to attend by her parents, she meets and falls in love with a 17-year-old boy. Together, they explore the boundaries of love and self-awareness in light of the very-present reality of death. Several Indianapolis locations are mentioned in The Fault in Our Stars, including Newfields, Holliday Park, Grandview Drive/Highlands Country Club, Castleton Square Mall, Crown Hill Cemetery, Broad Ripple Farmers Market and North Central High School.

Iowa

Critics have considered this 1991 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Jane Smiley a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear. A Thousand Acres tells the story of Larry Cook, his three adult daughters and their 1,000-acre farm in Zebulon County, Iowa. Larry announces the sale of his farm to his daughters, but Ginny, the oldest, objects and is removed from the will. As emotions flare, long-hidden family secrets are brought to light.

Kansas

In the literary world, the state of Kansas is synonymous with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s classic tells the story of Dorothy and her dog Toto, as well as the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and, of course, the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy and her family live in Kansas, and it’s the site of the tornado that brings her to Oz. The state of Kansas is such an integral part of the story that it’s featured in one of the most famous lines in literary and cinema history: “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Kentucky

Based on a true story, this 1987 novel by Toni Morrison tells the story of a runaway enslaved person named Sethe, who killed her own baby daughter, Beloved, to keep her away from slave catchers. Years later, the baby begins to haunt the house where Sethe and her children live. The supernatural turmoil delves into the heavy theme of redemption, as well as the psychological impact of slavery. Though parts of Beloved take place in Cincinnati, Ohio—after Sethe crosses the Ohio River—her flashbacks to the Sweet Home plantation where she was enslaved are set in Kentucky.

Louisiana

This 1976 novel by Anne Rice transformed vampires from the bow-tie-and-cape-wearing version of old-timey black-and-white movies to the sexy, conflicted, brooding beasts we know today. Interview with the Vampire, which was adapted into a 1994 movie featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, tells the story of the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac and his creator, Lestat. Before becoming a vampire, Louis was the young master of a large indigo plantation in colonial Louisiana. After he burns down the plantation, he and Lestat escape to New Orleans.

Maine

This Stephen King classic, released in 1974, portrays the telekinetic powers of Carrie White, a bullied 16-year-old girl from Chamberlain, Maine. As the torment escalates, so do Carrie’s powers. After being subjected to a horrific prank at the prom, Carrie uses her powers to enact bloody and violent vengeance against those who bullied her. Of course, Carrie isn’t the only novel King set in Maine: Other King classics include It, Pet Sematary and Cujo.

Maryland

Ann Brashares’s 2001 novel follows the story of four best friends from Bethesda, Maryland. Together since birth, they’re about to spend their first summer apart when they find an old pair of jeans that fit each girl perfectly, even though they’re all different sizes. As each girl comes into possession of the jeans, this coming-of-age novel explores the themes of friendship, love and family. In The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the traveling pants connect the girls to their hometown.

Massachusetts

In 1845, American author and transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau abandoned all the trappings of modern society and set out into the woods to, as he called it, “live deliberately.” For two years, two months and two days, he explored his natural environment, capturing what he learned and pondered in his journal, which was published in 1852. Walden tells the story of the time Thoreau spent living in a handmade cabin near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts.

Michigan

This Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides explores a delicate and complex subject: the condition of being intersex, or having a disorder of sexual development. Middlesex follows protagonist Cal Stephanides, an intersex man who was born genetically male but raised as female because his outer genitalia did not properly develop. This gripping tale, set in Detroit and its suburbs, explores the themes of nature versus nurture, as well as fate versus free will, through the eyes of Cal and his family.

Minnesota

An exemplary American novel, Sinclair Lewis’s 1920 book Main Street tells the story of Carol Milford, an urban young woman who moves to the town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, after college. Her attempts to bring culture and awareness to the town are met with disdain and spite, contesting the myth of idyllic small-town Americana.

Mississippi

Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel received critical acclaim for its candid portrayal of the treatment of Black maids by the white families they worked for. Set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s, The Help is told from the point of view of three main narrators: maids Aibileen and Minny, as well as Skeeter, a 23-year-old college graduate who, at great risk, collaborates with the women to share their stories.

Missouri

Written by Mark Twain in 1876, this classic novel—loosely based on Twain’s own childhood in Missouri—tells the story of 12-year-old Tom, a mischievous boy with a penchant for pranks and getting into trouble. Along the way, Tom and his friend Huck encounter the supernatural, racial tension and the limits of small-town life. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer takes place along the Mississippi River in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, a stand-in for Twain’s childhood hometown of Hannibal, Missouri.

Montana

Published in 1976, A River Runs Through It is a semi-autobiographical collection of stories by author Norman Maclean. The novel explores the author’s childhood in Missoula, Montana, where he and his brother learn the art of fly-fishing from their father, for whom fishing is sacred. The river in question is the Big Blackfoot River.

Nebraska

This debut novel by Rainbow Rowell burst onto the young adult scene in 2013 and has been deemed an instant classic because of its intimate portrayal of young love. Set in 1986, Eleanor & Park tells the story of two misfit teens from Omaha, Nebraska, who are united in love by their mutual peculiarities. Rowell lives in Omaha herself and has set several of her books in the city.

Nevada

A cultural juggernaut, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson tells the story of Raoul Duke’s drug-induced pursuit of the American Dream. Inspired by Thompson’s own outrageous exploits as a journalist, the book’s exploration of the 1960s counterculture movement secures its place as a seminal piece of postmodern literature in America. As the title suggests, Las Vegas plays a central role in the book, as both a setting and a road-trip destination.

New Hampshire

John Irving’s 1981 coming-of-age novel tells the story of the Berry family, which hails from the small town of Dairy, New Hampshire (presumably a stand-in for Derry, New Hampshire). While opening (and closing) a series of hotels—the titular Hotel New Hampshire is located in an abandoned girls school—the Berrys encounter disillusionment with the American dream, significant and harrowing tragedies and the loss of those they love.

New Jersey

Young adult fiction doesn’t get more iconic than Judy Blume’s 1970 novel, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. It begins with Margaret’s family moving from Manhattan to a New Jersey suburb, where she starts a new life and makes new friendships. The novel explores how the title character, sixth-grader Margaret, attempts to reconcile her mixed-religion heritage while grappling with the various trials of adolescence. Though it was published more than four decades ago, the novel’s themes of family, friendship, identity and religion remain as relevant as ever.

New Mexico

Written in 1932, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is largely considered one of the best novels of the 20th century. Set in dystopian London and New Mexico, it takes place in the far-distant future, where genetic modification, government-sanctioned drug use and social stratification are commonplace. The novel explores the complex moral limits of power and science, as well as the societal numbness that sets in by removing the plight of human suffering.

New York

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 classic novel, New York isn’t just the setting, it’s a character, making this one of the most well-known and well-loved books set in New York. Narrated by Yale graduate Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby, which takes place in and around Long Island and New York City, explores the unsettled relationship between mysterious self-made millionaire Jay Gatsby and the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan, while examining the class differences between the haves and the have-nots.

North Carolina

Set in Beaufort, North Carolina, A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks tells the story of two teenagers, Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan, who fall in love in the 1950s. The story, which is told in retrospect from the point of view of 57-year-old Landon, takes a heartbreaking turn when Landon learns that Jamie is dying.

North Dakota

This 2012 novel by Louise Erdrich takes place on an unnamed fictional Ojibwe Indian reservation in North Dakota. The Round House tells the story of a 13-year-old Native American boy who seeks revenge following the brutal rape of his mother, after conflict over where the crime occurred (was it on federal land, or on land under the jurisdiction of the tribe?) makes it difficult for the white rapist to be brought to justice.

Ohio

Published in 1919, this collection of short stories by American author Sherwood Anderson chronicles life in the small fictional town of Winesburg, Ohio, which was based on the author’s hometown of Clyde, Ohio. Through the eyes of an omniscient narrator, Winesburg, Ohio explores the isolation and loneliness that can accompany life in a small town.

Oklahoma

First published in 1967, S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders remains a staple in English classrooms across the country. One of the best books set in Oklahoma, in this case Tulsa, the novel tells the story of social-class conflict between two rival gangs: the Greasers and the Socs (short for Socials). The novel spawned a popular movie adaptation, which was released in 1983.

Oregon

In her bestselling 2012 autobiography, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, author Cheryl Strayed tells the story of her search for salvation by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Lost after the death of her mother and the dissolution of her marriage, she decided to hike—alone, and with no training—1,000 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon.

Pennsylvania

Set in Norristown, Pennsylvania, this harrowing 2002 novel by Alice Sebold tells the story of 14-year-old Susie Salmon, who is raped and murdered by a stranger on her way home from school. The Lovely Bones, which has since been adapted into a movie, is unique in that it is narrated by Susie from heaven, following her death.

Rhode Island

This 2002 Wally Lamb novel is a coming-of-age tale about Dolores Price, a self-conscious, miserable and overweight adolescent who learns to overcome a series of obstacles to find her true identity. Set in the 1950s and 1960s in locations throughout New England, including Rhode Island, She’s Come Undone follows Dolores from early childhood into womanhood and confronts weighty issues like women’s rights, guilt and shame and sexuality.

South Carolina

Published in 1992, this semi-autobiographical debut novel by author Dorothy Allison is set in the author’s hometown of Greenville, South Carolina, in the 1950s. Bastard Out of Carolina details the complex relationship between narrator Ruth Anne “Bone” Boatwright and her mother’s husband, who, after a series of family tragedies, begins sexually assaulting young Bone.

South Dakota

Set in De Smet, South Dakota, Little Town on the Prairie is the seventh book in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s autobiographical Little House series, which, of course, generated the popular TV show Little House on the Prairie. Published in 1941, this novel tells the story of 15-year-old Laura’s attempts to work outside the home while attending school and eventually earning her teaching certificate.

Tennessee

Set mostly in Memphis, Tennessee, The Client is American thriller book author John Grisham’s fourth novel. Published in 1993, it tells the story of a street-wise 11-year-old boy named Mark Sway who, while sneaking a cigarette with his brother, encounters a suicidal lawyer who tells them a fiery secret: the whereabouts of the body of a missing person who was killed by a mafia hit man—who’s also the lawyer’s client.

Texas

This 2005 novel by Cormac McCarthy is on the list of notable books set in Texas, taking place along the Mexican-U.S. border in 1980. No Country for Old Men follows the catastrophic chain of events that occurs after a curious hunter stops to investigate an abandoned pickup truck that is surrounded by violently wounded dead bodies. In the back of the truck, he finds $2 million and a stash of heroin—and takes them.

Utah

Another masterpiece by journalist Jon Krakauer, 2003’s Under the Banner of Heaven investigates the practices of Mormon Fundamentalists who live in isolated communities in Salt Lake City, Utah. Through extensive research, Krakauer tells the story of two brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who, as members of the School of Prophets sect, claim they were instructed by God to kill a woman and her baby.

Vermont

Published in 1913 and set in Beldingsville, Vermont, Pollyanna is a classic children’s novel by Eleanor Porter. The novel, whose title is now synonymous with a person who has an overly optimistic outlook, tells the story of Pollyanna, a young girl who learns to find the good in every situation—a rosy outlook that is tested when she suffers a debilitating injury.

Virginia

This extremely popular novel by V.C. Andrews, which was published in 1979, tells the story of four children who are kept in the attic of their grandmother’s mansion after their father’s death, all so that their mother can claim an inheritance. After three years of torment, they begin to plot their escape and seek revenge on their mother. Most of Flowers in the Attic takes place at Foxworth Hall, an isolated mansion in Virginia.

Washington

Stephenie Meyer’s four-part book series introduces adoring fans to the ordinary-turned-extraordinary life of Isabella Swan, who moves to the real-life small town of Forks, Washington, and meets her brooding vampire love interest, Edward Cullen. First published in 2005, Twilight spawned a series of movies and created a worldwide phenomenon.

West Virginia

Disguised as a girl, Henry “Little Onion” Shackleford, an enslaved boy, joins abolitionist John Brown’s followers as they make their way from Kansas to West Virginia. Henry narrates the book and tells of his exploits with Brown, including meeting Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, through the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. The Good Lord Bird won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2013.

Wisconsin

Jacquelyn Mitchard’s 1996 debut novel tells the story of an ordinary, everyday Wisconsin family ripped apart when their youngest son is kidnapped and then, nine years later, returned. The Deep End of the Ocean, which was turned into a movie in 1999, explicitly explores mother Beth Cappadora’s grief and pain as she tries to hold her family together and parent her two other children while maintaining hope for her son’s return.

Wyoming

The Laramie Project is a 2000 documentary-style play written by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the kidnapping and brutal murder of openly gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. Through interviews with more than 200 Laramie residents, the playwrights chronicle life in the town in the year after the murder.

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