50 novels for 50 states

I guess Huckleberry Finn for Missouri

>>8708454
Mason and Dixon for Maryland

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>>8708454
Tom Wolfe for Virginia

>>8708463
You're fucking retarded.

>>8708460
I know the facts, I think fiction will help me get a grasp on the psyche.

Any one /NJ/ here?

I don't think I've ever seen jersey mentioned besides In Freedom by franzen. I got a kick out of it since it mentioned my town and some bars I go to :^)

>>8708470
Fuck New Jersey, faggot. It's a shithole. kys.

>>8708454
FL - Thomas McGuane's Ninety-Two in the Shade. Tom Wolfe's Back to Blood, too.

>>8708470

Philip Roth, man. Most of his novels take place in Newark.

>>8708477

Top ken have you been to nj or no?


>>8708518
>>8708519

Thanks lads I'll give it a go

>>8708454
Fargo for Minnesota

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Alright here's what I've got so far.

I couldn't see a Tom Wolfe novel that looked particularly Virginia-y.

How about Pennsylvania?

Try American Rust. It's set in PA, and has themes that might give you a sense of what the rust belt is like.

>>8708470
Philip Roth sets most of his stuff in New Jersey. Not really a fan, but he is pretty well-regarded.

>>8708648
I'll check it out. I read The Son and thought it was pretty good.

>>8708454
Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson
In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote

Man in the High Castle for Colorado?

Ohio: Beloved
West Virginia: Freedom (Franzen)
Pennsylvania: American Rust
Iowa: Gilead
Alabama: To Kill a Mockingbird
Mississippi: Light in August

>>8708641
Blood Meridian for AZ and No Country for Old Men for TX.

>>8708641
Seize the Day for NY
Confederacy of Dunces for Louisiana

what about Alaska?

>>8708814
The Yiddish Policemen's Union

MA: IJ

>>8708814
Call of the Wild by Jack London.

Grapes of Wrath is essential reading for this purpose. Both for Oklahoma and California.

>>8708849
I saw on the chart that East of Eden was the choice for California but I think Grapes is the better Steinbeck choice. It doesn't really explain California as a whole though, I like Steinbeck but he's not the best choice.

>>8708470
Junot Diaz. aside from some set in the Dominican Republic, all the stories in Drown are set in NJ. one is even titled Edison, New Jersey. And Oscar Wao is mostly in NJ, too.

GA has pretty much got to be Gone With The Wind. Although, Bierce's unit was stationed in GA so maybe some of his civil war stuff is set there, too.

>>8708855
Maybe I'll cheat and have Grapes of Wrath for OK so I can free up CA for something else.

>>8708860
That might be better. While Okies are an important part of California history, my grandfather was one, they are more representative of the state they emigrated from. Still thinking of a good Cali book, pretty difficult because the state is so fucking big.

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey is the pick for Utah

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas could work for Nevada, although emblemic of the city and not the state. then again, is there any choice that represents the whole state? Maybe some old Louis L'amore oater?

>>8708463
a) why not?
b) those books aren't like that

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No book will help you understand these people, because books are written by, about, and for the kind of person smart enough to read books.

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>>8708895
This book did a pretty good job though.

>>8708855
Cannery Row should be used for California instead 2bh

>>8709107
I've never read it but I will if you tell me why it is the best choice.

Spoonriver anthology for Illinois.

>>8709110
Because it focuses on the different characters that live in Monterey, CA, and even goes into Salinas. They are a stark contrast seeing as Salinas is a salt of the earth, farm land.

Seeing as how it focuses on actual California characters, and it's his best book, I think It is the perfect choice.

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really most things by Wendell Berry would good for Kentucky.

Hillbilly Elegy isn't fiction but it's a really interesting look at the communities in the appalachian mountains

>>8708641
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter for Georgia.

Maybe Lie Down in Darkness/Confessions of Nat Turner for Virginia? William Styron is a good choice for that state.

>>8708788

West Virginia should be Breece DJ Pancake trilobites

>>8708454
Look Homeward, Angel for North Carolina

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Here's where we're at so far. Triple McCarthy is probably overkill, feel free to throw out alternatives for those states.

>>8709107
>>8709123
I've actually read it already. It was good.

>>8709134
>>8709136
Cheers, I'll check them out.

>>8709153
Infinite Jest could replace Blood Meridian

Lonesome Dove could replace No Country for Old Men

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today could replace Suttree

>>8708454
Sometimes a Great Notion for Oregon

>>8708454

Colorado:
Kent Haruf, Plainsong

>>8708454

Don't bash your brains in over 50 turgid novels lol But, some suggestions:

Some Stephen King is sure to be set in Maine. And since King is a popular author, reading some of his work and trying to understand why it is popular in America may help your project.

Edgar Allan Poe moved all over, but Baltimore regularly claims him. so some Poe for Maryland.

maybe some James Ellroy for CA?

I'll be honest, fiction becomes less interesting to me the older I get.

The Changing Light at Sandover by James Merrill for Connecticut (or at least the shore region of it)
Epic Poem about ghosts, reincarnations of Plato, and the intersection of the scientific/spiritual/artistic, with a sprawling cosmology reminiscent of Dante and Milton.

The Moviegoer by Walker Percy for Louisiana
Gives a good account of New Orleans and the surrounding suburban area

>>8708454
America can't even produce one novel of note let alone 50

Would actually make a pretty cool chart. Comfy thread OP

For Wyoming, The Virginians by Owen Wister would be great. Considered to be the first ever "Western" novel.

>>8709279

we should do one for presidents too, maybe:
pro biography
contra biography
something written during their term
...

As a Brit this sounds really interesting actually, I guess for Maine you'd have a Stephen King book?

>>8709300
do you know a lot about presidential biographies?

I love the idea but wonder if /lit/ has enough knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject

Absalom, Absalom! for Mississippi

>>8709306
I'm having trouble finding biographies that would balance the hagiographic biographies.

I was planning on choosing the possitive biography from this site:
https://bestpresidentialbios.com/

and there is also this, which (inb4 >buzzfeed) seems interesting, although I didn't include it before:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/daveodegard/the-favorite-books-of-all-44-presidents-of-the-united-states?utm_term=.qhBGDN9xQ#.hv8Q1L94D

>>8709220
I was wondering if anything from Colorado would get mentioned. Looks like a book worth reading. Thanks for the rec.

Raymond carver really has that pacific NW feel.

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Wisconsin represent!

The problem with California is it's too varied and huge for there to be a well-known, well-written novel that describes it all. It's like New York - most New York novels focus on the NYC/Long Island/Westchester area, leaving few to focus on upstate NY. I'd like to be proven wrong.

But yeah, there are any number of California novels that do a good job of describing a little bit of California, but at the expense of other parts. Writing about SF? LA and the rural areas get left behind, and vice versa.

The Zamorano Club has a list of books it considers to be essential to an understanding of California's nature, but I'm not quite familiar with everything on it. I do know it contains a lot of nonfiction though. Fig Tree John does a good job.

>>8709334
A link to the list in question, for anyone interested:
http://www.zamoranoclubla.org/pdf/zamorano-select.pdf

>>8709236
>Edgar Allan Poe moved all over, but Baltimore regularly claims him. so some Poe for Maryland


I was thinking about the Gold Bug for SC. It's one of his longer stories, as well as a popular one, and set on the South Carolina coast.

>>8708641

Well, anon, I suggested Tom Wolfe because he is from Virginia.

>>8709341
I realise that but I'm assuming that reading The Bonfire of the Vanities or The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test isn't likely to give me much of a sense of Virginia.

>>8709334
>leaving few to focus on upstate NY. I'd like to be proven wrong.

The Last of the Mohicans

the bible for mississippi

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>>8709346
You can get a sense of that though the way he writes or something, I don't know. Incidentally, I'm sure Edgar Allen Poe wrote about Virginia. But you have to realize reading a single book won't give you the perfect semblance of Virginia, for it is too big and diverse.

I see you've filled the Illinois slot with a work I'm unfamiliar with, but I humbly suggest Bradbury's Dandelion Wine as a serious contender. Comfy: The Novel, right there.

>>8709153
I still think the movie Fargo should represent Minnesota.

>>8708641
God, do not read east of eden, it is without a doubt the most reddit tier, overwrought sentimental plebby piece of "literature" that i have ever read. What abut Grapes of Wrath? Unless youve already read it and dont want to repeat yourself there is no fucking reason to read EoE over GoW. And even if you have, there has fucking got to be a better californian book than EoE.

seriously dude, fucking anything but east of eden, if you go ahead with it dont say i didnt warn you.

>>8709236

>recommends Stephen King

>complains about fiction

If you were so bright maybe you'd recommend Atleast one good american author.

>>8709153
William Gass' In the Heart of the Heart of the Country suits a lot of the midwest
Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie would suit Illinois
Something John Green for Indiana

>>8709358
That does look good. Maybe I'll give it the nod considering Spoon River Anthology isn't really a novel. But I'll probably read that too, it sounds interesting as fuck.

>>8709361
I've seen it, something like it in novel form would be great.

>>8709365
Don't worry, another anon already talked me into GoW.

>>8709347
Eh, you're not wrong but I disagree for some reason. Not enough New York character in it, if that makes sense.

>>8709312
>polk

>>8709309
seconding this over The Sound and The Fury as Absalom, Absalom! deals more with the legacy and impact of Southern life post-Civil War

>>8709153
Move Infinite Jest to Mass. (Or obviously put Hawthorne there). States characterized by major conurbations probably need two books. Chicago needs a Saul Bellow novel, LA needs Nathaniel West, etc

Complete HP Lovecraft for Rhode Island.

>>8708462
Which Tom Wolfe book? He's a Richmond native but I can't name a book of his set in the Old Dominion.

>>8709334
>ctrl+f didion
>0 matches

You had one job, apparently.

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A good book about Virginia, and more relevant than ever in light of recent events.

>>8708788
>Iowa
I second Gilead for Iowa

No Stephen Crane? Yall are retarded.

>>8708462
Bonfire of the Vanities for NY

Suttree for Tennessee

>>8709358
Dandelion Wine is fag shit.

The Marrow of Tradition for North Carolina

Massachusetts should be Walden

Requesting lit that gives you the feel of Hawaii and Texas

>>8708814
I would vote for Into the Wild. It gives a great sense of Alaskan disdain for idiots.

>>8709487
Anyone in here read Suttree? I'm from the Knoxville area, so I'm interested in reading it. Is it any good? And if so, should I read any other McCarthy before tackling it?

Great thread btw OP. I haven't read any King but everyone is suggesting him for Maine. I guess you could read The Stand, since it's one of his most popular/praised works.

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>>8708788
>Pennsylvania: American Rust

Were forgetting this minor /lit/ meme which takes place in Philly.

>>8709587
>from the Knoxville area
that reminds me, Agee got the Pulitzer for A Death In The Family. They eventually re-named 15th St for him, too.

I haven't read Suttree or ADitF, but sounds like it could be a contender at any rate.

>>8709477
>implying traitor Didion can come close to describing California
"hurrr muh vastly superior New York SoHo culture"
"hurrr muh everybody is so fake hurr weather"
Didion's read on California is no different from a People Magazine writeup that describes the Kardashians as Los Angeles nobility.

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>>8709505
so you enjoyed it, then?

>>8708641
Only Oklahoma book i can think of is the outsiders ???

Definitely something by Hawthorne for Massachusetts. I would probably say The House of the Seven Gables

Death Comes For the Archbishop by Willa Cather for New Mexico

I second >>8709510

McTeague by Frank Norris for California

>>8709510
>Chesnutt

I can't
not
laugh.

>>8708860
If you don't think BEE is too much of a meme, Less than Zero deals with a more modern LA and gives you a better feel of California in the present day

>>8708454
please kys

>>8708542
>Top ken have you been to nj or no?

Yes, I have been to Princeton and Trenton. And it's the worst fucking state in this country. President Trump should honestly just glass the whole fucking state. The people there are even worse. Genocide when?

>>8709628
Thanks for the recommendation. I'll probably check it out.

>>8708461
Mason and Dixon obviously belongs to Pennsylvania. I bet you're a spy for the Jesuits.

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>>8708454
Housekeeping for Idaho

There's probably some novels out there that are more explicitly about the state, but I doubt they will be as good. Seriously this novel is sublime, everyone should read it.

>>8709220
Was just going to post Haruf.

How well-known is he?

>>8710477
>sublime

Fuck off

>>8710485
Yeah whatever, at least I didn't call it a tour de force. But for real it is sublime, I heavily encourage you to go and read it.

>>8710488
Fuck off

>>8710480

I believe he has some name recognition outside the state in addition to being a literary favorite son in CO. Not as well known as someone like Stephen King of course, but his work captures the spirit of the state far better than, say, The Shining.

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We're on the home straight.

>>8708454
>Recent events have shown me that I don't really understand America and I'd like to change that.
>To that end I've decided to read a novel for each state in the union
How about just studying American history?

>>8710572
Not sure about a book, but for Michigan you can listen to Sufjan Steven'a album called Michigan. Same goes for Illinois. Great albums with beautiful music that he researched and looked through old state files and shit to write.

>>8709980

Jeez what got you so triggered? I'm genuinely curious. Where are you from? Was it a culture shock when you got here? Why did you come to nj?

Maine, Olive Kitteridge.
Rhode Island, Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn

>>8708809
This or A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.

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>>8709329
Wisconsin belongs to Rascal

>>8710572
I veto Less than Zero. That book fucking sucked and it gives you a very small slice of a very small community in California.

>>8711192
Alright, give me an alternative.

>>8708454
>Wolfe
>Wolfe

Tobias Wolff

>>8711208
Would This Boy's Life work for Washington?

>>8711206
I'm trying to find something but it's hard. Grapes of Wrath captures the majority of California (the huge amount of agricultural centers) but you could easily use it for OK so I hesitate to recommend it.

A lot of stuff involves immigrants too. Maybe we can split it into LA, SF, and inland. Same with NY.

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>>8710637
I'm from DC. I went to go visit a friend at Princeton, which was great. The town itself was very quaint. But the rest of New Jersey was grungy. The people are the worst part, too. They're all cold and rude. And now that I think about it, they don't really contribute anything to the rest of the country. Fuck off.

what about our commonwealths?

>>8711224
They more than likely thought you were just a faggot m8

>>8711224
Also, the rest of the state? You mentioned you only saw Princeton and Trenton?

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>>8708454
you wanna see something depressing?

>>8711763
What's this?

>>8711763
So the South has the best/least bad taste.

Really want to know why ND is the second HP book specifically.

>>8709111
This. Such an underrated piece of American literature.

>>8711763

>Wisconsin, Alcoholics Anonymous

I laughed heartily.

>>8710477
I agree, that book is great.

>>8711763
>north carolina
>not Look Homeward, Angel

>>8708645
Rabbit Run?

Russell Banks for New Hampshire either The Sweet Hereafter or Afffliction.

>>8708788
To Kill a Mockingbird is the best choice, but assuming OP has already read it, I'd say Helen Keller's autobio

>>8710477
Train Dreams gets my vote for Idaho. But then I haven't read Housekeeping.

>>8709587
It's a great book. The style is totally unlike most McCarthy; it's far more Joycian in nature, really introspective and subject focused. It's also McCarthy's biographical novel and does a great job of depicting the life of aimless, broke roustabouts in the 1950s.

You don't really need to read any other stuff; this book would actually be good to read before his later stuff. It's dense and wordy but no more so than most books brought up here constantly.

Alos Confederacy of Dunces should be for New Orleans.

The Secret History for Vermont?

>>8711934
Louisana I mean.

Thou really you could do books for the major cities as well.

>>8711921
Cheers, think I'll check out The Sweet Hereafter

>>8711926
I haven't, believe it or not. Just the film.

>>8711932
I've read Train Dreams. Bretty gud.

>>8711939
I've heard good things. I expect it's not all that representative of Vermont but I'll take it.

>>8710572
I veto Walden for not being a novel. Add The Scarlet Letter instead

>>8710490
Fuck on. Go go Power Rangers!

>>8711953
Well, imo Mockingbird is a rare case where the movie is just as good if not slightly better than the book

>>8709361

In a similar way The Sopranos managed to thouroughly capture NJ vibes

>>8711965
I had a Hawthorne novel pencilled in before. I'll change it back if you promise to let me get away with some of the other memoirs/non-fiction on the list.

>>8711994
I guess. I understand that there are some states that have fewer works to choose from. But for Massachusetts, man, ya gotta pick a novel

For actual insight into the culture of Maine, look into Tim Sample. The /lit/ answer would be Elizabeth Strout though

Alright, ten states left.

Arkansas
Delaware
Hawaii
Indiana
Michigan
Minnesota
North Dakota
South Carolina
Sout Dakota
Wisconsin

>>8712012
Thanks, I'll look into it. Yeah, I've got Olive Kitteridge down at the moment.

>>8712031
You could use The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington for Indiana

Vonnegut is more famous but I can't think of any of his major works that are actually set in the state

>>8712044
Thanks, looks interesting. I take it it stands on its own despite being part of a trilogy?

>>8712055
It's really a thematic trilogy, so yes

>>8712031
Giants in the Earth for the Dakotas

>>8712031
Lake Wobegon Days for Minnesota
True Grit for Arkansas

>>8708454
http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/04/27/book-review-albions-seed/

If anyone has any interest at all in trying to understand American society from a historical perspective, this article is definitely worth reading.

>>8712031
>>8712180
Morte d'Urban is the most /lit/ Minnesotan book. Look it up, and it's published by NYRB. Praised by Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk who is quite /lit/ himself and has book published by New Directions.

>>8712031
Fight Club for Delaware

>>8712031
From Here to Eternity for Hawaii

OP can USA by John Dos Passos get it's own category?

>>8712262
>>8712180
No, Main Street by Sinclair Lewis is the great Minnesota novel

>>8708470
P a t e r s o n

>>8712031
>Michigan
Song of Hiawatha, Longfellow

>>8708454
Dune for Washington desu. Caladan is Washington and Herbert said as much.

>tfw Arkansan and can only think of True Grit
I'm...I'm a failure /lit/

>>8712444
Redeem yourself by writing THE Great Arkansan Novel.

>>8712444
There's also I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

>>8712444
"I know why the caged bird sings" by Maya Angelou.

>>8710572
Freedom - Jonathan Franzen for Minnesota

>>8711763
>The Last Lecture
>Florida
the fuck

>>8712359
N I g g e r

desu Stand by Me is probably the best Maine novel

For Wisconsin try "The Art of Fielding"?

Wisconsin is the setting although that setting doesn't particularly have a big role. Still it's probably the biggest name novel I can think of set in Wisconsin. Actually the only one.

>>8713379
I should add that since it's about baseball you can learn about a pretty important part of American culture.

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Are you okay with novellas and short story collections too? For Alabama, how about the short story collection Poachers by Tom Franklin? It's very good.

>>8710572
Big Two-hearted River by Hemingway for upper mich

>>8713314
I've read The Body, I really like it. When a lot of people were mentioning Stephen King I considered putting Different Seasons down for Maine but Apt Pupil is set in California and The One That Didn't Get a Movie is set in Manhattan.

>>8713379
Thanks, I'll take it. Understanding America's love of baseball may be the biggest challenge of all.

>>8713399
Yeah, there's some short stories, some epic poems in there too. Thanks, think I'll give it the nod over TKAM. I'm hesitant to have the likes of it and A Confederacy of Dunces on the list because I'm more likely to read them outside of this project anyway.

_____
Right so now we just need something for South Carolina and either North Dakota or South Dakota. Or anon's suggetsion >>8712156 can be used for North and South, leaving the 50th novel for something else, what do you think?

>>8713460
>leaving the 50th novel for something else, what do you think
>>8712319
>>8712319
>>8712319

Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Hurston

Takes places in Florida during Jim Crow. Its about a Mixed Race woman who goes through 3 different marriages that define the major periods of her life.

The novel does great in detailing life in Florida historically as well as how the state became as successful as it is. Also delves into racism and womens role in society.

Its one of those standard "Read it or dont pass english 101" books but i found it pretty informative and enjoyable.

>>8713527
Isn't that three novels? But it does sound like it would serve my purposes well. I certainly don't have any better ideas at the moment.

>>8713559
They come in one book and they're stylistically identical. Personally I think the first part is the best but it all gives a nuanced and comprehensive portrayal of the cultural and class distinctions in America and the implications of it, while covering 30 years of history.

so is there going to be a chart?

>>8708454
Pale King for Illinois

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Alright here's what we've ended up with, unless anyone has any major objections. Thanks for all your suggestions, sorry if I didn't use yours. I have them all written down so maybe I'll get around to some of the others eventually.

If there any Dakotan anons here, get writing. It falls to you to rescue your state's literary tradition.

>>8714462
It's beyond my capabilities. And if somene else wanted to do it, something a bit more considered than my arbitrary decision-making is probably needed.

>>8714537
My Overview would be "The People, Yes" by Carl Sandburg, in my opinion the great American epic poem, but that's subjective.

>>8713399
Loved the title story in Poachers but aside from the story about the guy buying the old bath tub, I didn't care much for the other stories in Poachers

>>8710572
Dude, not Fear and Loathing for Nevada. It's a shit book. John O'Brien's Leaving Las Vegas is much more representative of sin city.

>>8714666
>entry level = shit
>trading shit for dogshit

>>8711932
I've read both. Housekeeping is better.

>>8714646
I thought the story "Blue Horses" in Poachers was fantastic.

>>8711095
>why is that RI?

>>8708788
good stuff

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ctrl + f "connecticut"

One response in a thread of two hundred replies and it was a shit rec for it has little to do with CT.

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. Captures some of the New England sentiment and the tensions that are generated from living in suburban communities where your neighbors expect you to be them.

>>8715153
the swimmer by john cheever

>>8715153
>shit rec
>recommends Revolutionary Road

>>8715159
>Ideally each novel would capture something about the state's history or culture, rather than just being set there.

Going based off of this and this criteria only, Revolutionary Road is better than Merrill's work, which I've actually read.

If you think you can do better, by all means, sir.

>>8715158
How does this capture the culture &/or history of the state of CT?

>>8715168
have you read it? the swimmer is about a waspy guy getting drunk in westport/greenwich. that's the CT i know and love.

>>8715159
Revolutionary Road might only pertain to the part of the state that is a suburb of NYC, but it's a fucking beautiful book. Not a fun read tho

>>8714537
Bumping this

>>8715175
Is it an allegory of Ted Kennedy? I mean he was a catholic but he was a good swimmer from the area.

>>8712156
I second this. I grew up in MN and every kid at my school had to read that book so we understood our state's Scandinavian "roots". We all hated it, but I came across a chapter of it in an anthology and realized it is actually very beautiful, touching writing. It might drag on 100 pages more than it should, but it's still a worthwhile read

>>8716756
Good old Ted Kennedy, the only guy in Connecticut who knew how to swim.

>>8709326
used to live in illinois, now i live in oregon

i would recommend raymond carver's what we talk about when we talk about love for OR. suitably captures the happy/sad small town feel present in every city here

despite being non-fiction, devil in the white city by erik larson for IL strictly because chicago is the only important thing about the state, not because it is superior to the spoon river anthology. both maybe, since there is no state that made a stronger impression of the cultural divide between the poor population compared to the suburban bourgeois having a gay ol' time in the fancier city boroughs

or maybe ray bradbury's something wicked this way comes because every person reared in the midwest (specifically illinois, being the most vacated state in the country for years now) has a calling to leave, but is inexplicably glued to the heartland, too poor to successfully leave their shitty podunk hometown, few scaping their way into chicago. though devil in the white city still wins because these days even successful people from waukeegan simply say they're from chicago while out of town

>>8714537
lonesome dove>no country for old men