More than Hot Springs and Bill Clinton
The famous memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou has Stamps, Arkansas as one of its settings as that’s where the author lived during part of her childhood. Are you curious about more contemporary titles set in the state? Take a look at the list below.
If you have a comment about any of them, let me know your thoughts. Or if you’d like to add a book of your own, submit your suggestion. Remember the book doesn’t need to be explicitly about the state, only clearly set in it and written by someone who actually lived there.
Books are in no order of preference. That they are on this list is not a reflection of my personal taste or even that I’ve read them — I want you to find what works for you.
Cottonmouths by Kelly J. Ford, fiction / LGBTQ
Don’t Know Tough by Eli Cranor, southern noir
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield, historical fiction
March Forward, Girl by Melba Pattillo Beals, memoir
Opal Summerfield & The Battle of Fallmoon Gap by Mark Caldwell Jones, YA fantasy
Not available via Bookshop
A Painted House by John Grisham, literary thriller
Purchase via Bookshop to support independent bookstores.
Purchase via Amazon? Links coming soon.
Photo credit: Erick Zaja