I am looking for titles set in each US state by authors from that state. Can you help? Scroll down for details on the project. Thank you!
One of the most challenging aspects of my Andrea Reads America project* has been finding works of fiction set in each state written by non-Caucasian authors who are either from the state or have lived there as a resident (*my project is to read each state via male, female, and non-Caucasian authors). When I wrote about this difficulty in a previous post, Where are the ethnic authors?, several readers asked that I compile a list of the titles I have so far so that they could help fill in the gaps. (Thank you @LissGrunert and The Afro-Librarians for the suggestion. I’m holding you to your offer now.)
I have not been looking super far ahead, so as of the original posting date of this entry (January 13, 2014) there are a ton of gaps beyond Arkansas, which is as far as I’ve gotten in my research. I have found non-Caucasian authors from 22 states (and the District of Columbia) and am lacking titles for the remaining from 28. If you have favorite titles that meet the following criteria, please leave me a note in the comments below (or via Twitter at @andreabadgley) and I will add them to the list. If you know a title set in a specific state but do not know where the writer is from, don’t worry: please give me your titles anyway and I’ll research the author’s background. All genres are welcome:
- Non-Caucasian author (African-American, Asian American, Latino, Native American, Indian American, etc.)
- Narrative set in a specific US state
- Author born in or has lived in the state in which the title is set OR author writes about personal ancestors in the state
For a minute I considered waiving the residency requirement in favor of only reading fiction, but after my husband said, Whoa, hold on a minute there Tiger, I changed my mind. He reminded me of the original spirit of my quest, which is to experience the United States through the voices of its people. I think the fairest way to maintain consistency and the authentic experience of each state is to read work written by authors who were born or raised, or who lived or died in that state. So whether you’ve got nonfiction or fiction titles (including short story collections), please feed them to me here, as long as they meet the criteria above. Thank you so much for your help, and here we go!
Alabama
Train Whistle Guitar by Albert Murray
(completed: please see Andrea Reads America: Alabama for writeup)
Alaska
Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage, and Survival by Velma Wallis
(completed: please see Andrea Reads America: Alaska for writeup)
Arizona
Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko
La Maravilla by Alfredo Véa, Jr.
(completed; Andrea Reads America: Arizona post in progress)
Arkansas
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Daisy: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Janis F. Kearney
Ark of Bones and Other Stories by Henry Dumas
California
The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Colorado
(no authors of color yet)
Connecticut
The Narrows: A Novel by Ann Petry (added January 13, 2014)
Delaware
I’m On My Way But Your Foot is On My Head by Bertice Berry (added January 20, 2014)
District of Columbia
Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones
Florida
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Georgia
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Hawaii
Shark Dialogues by Kiana Davenport
House of Thieves by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers by Lois-Ann Yamanaka
Idaho
The Jailing of Cecelia Capture by Janet Campbell Hale (added January 13, 2014)
Illinois
Native Son by Richard Wright
Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks (added January 13, 2014)
Indiana
(no authors of color yet)
Iowa
Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee (added January 14, 2014)
Kansas
Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes (added January 13, 2014)
Kentucky
Blacks in Appalachia, edited by William H. Turner (KY) and Edward Cabbell (WV) (added January 22, 2014)
Lousiana
Cane River by Lalita Tademy
Maine
(no authors of color yet)
Maryland
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass (added January 13, 2014)
Massachusetts
The Living is Easy by Dorothy West (added January 13, 2014)
The Wedding by Dorothy West (added January 13, 2014)
Michigan
Gifted Hands by Ben Carson (added January 13, 2014)
Minnesota
The Birchbark House by Louse Erdrich
Mississippi
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Missouri
(no authors of color yet)
Montana
Winter in the Blood by James Welch (added January 13, 2014)
Nebraska
(no authors of color yet)
Nevada
(no authors of color yet)
New Hampshire
(no authors of color yet)
New Jersey
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
New Mexico
House Made of Dawn by M. Scott Momaday
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya (added January 13, 2014)
New York
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos
Passing by Nella Larsen
Mr. Ives’ Christmas by Oscar Hijuelos
Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
Jazz by Toni Morrison
Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead
North Carolina
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs (added January 13, 2014)
North Dakota
The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Ohio
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Oklahoma
Mean Spirit by Linda Hogan
Oregon
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow (added January 13, 2014)
The Residue Years by Mitchell S. Jackson (added January 13, 2014)
Pennsylvania
Buck: A Memoir by M.K. Asante
Rhode Island
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (added January 14, 2014)
South Carolina
(no authors of color yet)
South Dakota
From the Deep Woods to Civilization by Charles Eastman (added January 13, 2014)
Tennessee
Roots by Alex Haley (added January 13, 2014)
Texas
The Border is Burning by Ito Romo (added January 13, 2014)
Caballero by Jovita Gonzalez (added January 13, 2014)
Utah
(no authors of color yet)
Vermont
See Now Then by Jamaica Kincaid (added January 14, 2014)
Virginia
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
Washington
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (added January 20, 2014)
West Virginia
(no authors of color yet)
Wisconsin
Wingshooters by Nina Revoyr
Wyoming
(no authors of color yet)
Please pass this list around to any readers you know so we can fill it in and provide a resource for folks who’d like to diversify their reading. Thank you!
*I am reading America: 3 books from each state in the US with the following authorships represented – women, men, and non-Caucasian writers. To follow along, please visit me at andreareadsamerica.com.
Butterfly Mind 
Novelist, Ann Petry from CT: The Street, Country Place and more novels; Melvin B. Tolson, born in MO, died in TX, poetry, A Gallery of Harlem Poets; Also poet, Nikki Giovanni was born & attended college in TN. She currently teaches at Virginia Tech and might be good resource fot more names to fill out your list. From OK, Ralph Ellison Invisible Man. These writers are all African-American. Good luck! This is a great challenge you set for yourself.
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Oh my goodness, thank you so much for the Ann Petry recommendation! Her personal story of growing up black in a small New England town is compelling enough, and then after I looked at her titles I can’t wait to read her work, especially Tituba of Salem Village, a children’s book about a fortune teller during the Salem witch trials. That’s my kind of book!
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Read The Narrows (Ann Petry) in college. Highly recommended!
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I’m excited for you to embark on this challenge! You have inspired me to round out my American literature reading!
Okay I have come up with just a couple more:
Mitchell S Jackson: The Residue years (Oregon)
Dorothy West: The Living is easy (wrote a series of Short stories – some of which are set in Martha’s vineyard, Massachusetts)
Speaking of Martha’s Vineyard, there are a number of nonfiction texts about blacks on the Vineyard (“African Americans on Martha’s Vineyard” and there are brief blurbs about this and the history of upper/upper middle class African Americans in “Our Kind of People”…quite an interesting read by the way if you really want to get into the nuances of black culture in America)
Nikki Giovanni: A poet (if that counts) from Tennessee. I believe she wrote a poem titled after her home town – Knoxville
Ann Petr5: “The Street” and “The Narrows” (CT)
I’m going to have to dig deep for some of these other states…stay tuned…ill be back!
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So excited about The Residue Years and the Martha’s Vineyard stories. Thank you!
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Sandra Cisneros is technically from Chicago (where ‘the house on mango street’ is set, as I recall) but she’s lived in Texas for years. I’m ashamed of myself that I can’t do better than that for my home state… we’ll see if someone else comes to mind. Meantime, I’m delighted by your list so far, and plan to borrow from it! After you read ‘Native Son,’ find James Baldwin’s essay ‘Notes of a Native Son’ – the two had an interesting relationship, and the works make a fascinating pair.
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Ooh!! I love the sound of House on Mango Street – I’m adding that to my list for Illinois. Looking through her titles it looks like some could be set in Texas, too. I’m going to check after I eat my lunch.
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Oh and…
Ben Carson:Gifted Hands…an autobiography but the childhood portion takes place in Detroit (Michigan)
Lorraine Hansberry: A Raisin in the Sun (Illinois…you already have the state covered but thought this one may also be good as not many plays are listed)
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Andrea, this is a great resource. Thanks for putting this together.
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Andrea,
Erdrich is naturally a favorite in Minnesota, so beautiful and lyrical. Try also Kao Kalia Yang’s Latehomecomer. Beautiful memoir that takes you from the mountains of Laos, the refuge camps of Thailand and new homes in Minnesota. I heard the author speak once. She said that in Minnesota she is called a Hmong writer, and in the greater U.S. she is called a Minnesota writer, and abroad she is called an American writer. Fascinating distinctions I think.
Happy reading.
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