Almost Heaven

Is there a book you love and feel does a great job of highlighting its West Virginia setting? Send your suggestions and please don’t forget to tell me why you think that book is a good choice for this state. It doesn’t need to explicitly be about the state, only clearly set in it and written by someone who actually lived there. I have a bias towards books written by authors who are still living so that we can reflect more on today’s reality but I won’t turn down a classic if you make a good argument for it!

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.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

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Lark & Termite by Jayne Ann Phillips

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Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, memoir

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Share No Secrets by Carleen Thompson

Not available via Bookshop

Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina

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Strange as this Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake

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Purchase via Bookshop to support independent bookstores.

Purchase via Amazon? Links coming soon.

Photo credit: Erick Zajac