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Most readers read for two reason: for fun or for learning. Often times it is a mix of both, and we choose books that are both fun to read and that teach us something new. Books take us to a world and a place where we might not go otherwise.

It is one of the things that I have loved about reading since I was a kid. Books take me to places that I would never be able to go to. They let me feel like I was experiencing things I never would have otherwise.

Books also challenge us. They challenge us to learn new things. They challenge us to think outside of the box and outside the small world we tend to live in.

They help us travel to new places and cultures.

When my reading life gets a little dull and boring, I know it is time for a new challenge. Something to inspire me to read outside of my normal reading box. One of my current challenges is to read a nonfiction book about every state in the United States.

I do not have strict rules for my challenge except that it has to be a nonfiction book that takes place in a specific state. I am looking for books that teach me about the state, the culture of it, and the people that make it what it is today.

As I find books and read them, I thought it would be fun to share them with you. Below is my list of books that I have read so far in this challenge. It is not a complete list yet because I am not quite done with the challenge yet. But when I mention this challenge I always get questions and comments, so I wanted to put together a post about it with the list of what I have read.

I will update the list as I read more books. I have a ways to go in the challenge, but I am over halfway there.

Some states have several books listed because I couldn’t decide and ended up reading more than one book. My goal is to complete this challenge in the next few months. If you have a book about a state that you would like to recommend, please leave a comment letting me know. I would love some recommendations for the states I am missing.

I hope this inspires you to read more and to learn about the world around you!

Alabama

• All over but the Shoutin by Rick Bragg- All Over But the Shoutin’ is by Rick Bragg, who some of you might recognize from his columns in Southern Living Magazine. I read many of his Southern Living articles, but this is the first book I have read by him. It is his memoir of growing up in the south. It is real life stuff. Real life isn’t always glamorous or easy to read about, but it is real life.

• Madison Park a Place of Hope by Eric Motley- I also really enjoyed this book. I read this for my Alabama book. One of the reasons I gave myself this challenge was to push me outside of my comfort zone and the normal type of books I would usually pick up. This book was an example of that. I am not sure I would have read this if I hadn’t challenged myself to read a book for every state. It is the inspirational story of the author, Eric L. Motley. It is his story,  but also the story of the small town he grew up in and the people who helped him become what he is today. It is a great example of how doing small and big things for others can change lives in both small and big ways.

Alaska

• If you Lived Here I Would Know Your Name by Heather Lende- The author writes for her local small town newspaper and she shares her story and the story of the people around her in this book. It contains a lot about small town Alaskan life, but it also contains so much about small towns in general. If you grew up in a small town like I did, than you can probably relate to a lot of the stories in this book. Many of the stories though are simply stories that would only happen in Alaska, which makes it the perfect book for my challenge.

Arizona

• Lazy B by Sandra Day O’Connor- Lazy B by Sandra Day O’Connor is a look at the childhood of a well known name in American politics. The reality is that where you come from and what you go through shapes who you are and what you become. Sandra Day O’Connor grew up in an extremely desolate, out of the way place, in the American west. She grew up in the dusty, dry, harsh, beautiful, middle of nowhere part of southern Arizona. Lazy B covers three generations of living and surviving on a ranch in Arizona. It covers the life and people of the American West in a narrative way sharing what that life taught them, and how it shaped them.

Arkansas

• I Will Not Fear by Melba Pattillo Beals- I am so glad that I choose this for my Arkansas book. The purpose of my nonfiction book for every state challenge is to push me outside of my normal reading comfort zone. I want to read books that I wouldn’t normally pick up. This book was just that.

California

• Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt- I debated about whether or not this qualifies for a California book. It is about so much more than California, but the whole book takes place in California. It also shows how much of a roll California and the people of California played in developing the space industry. It also goes into quite a bit of detail about life in California during the 1940’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s. So I am counting it as a book about California.

• Bad Blood by John Carreyrou- Bad Blood was one of my favorite books of 2018. I picked it and started reading it and could not put it down. I read it in less than two days. This is one of those books that makes you realize that fact is often stranger than fiction. The story is fascinating and the writing is very well done. It takes place in Silicon Valley so it is the perfect book for California.

Colorado

• Nothing Daunted by Dorothy Wickenden- Nothing Daunted by Dorothy Wickenden is an example of why I loved my challenge of reading a nonfiction book about every state. I read this book for the Colorado book for my challenge, and I really enjoyed reading it. I wouldn’t have picked up this book though if I hadn’t been looking for a book about Colorado.

Connecticut

Need to read.

Delaware

Need to Read

Florida

• Best State Ever by Dave Barry- After reading several really tough memoirs for my nonfiction books for every state challenge, I needed something lighter and fun to read for my challenge. Best State Ever A Florida Man Defends His Homeland by Dave Barry ended up being the perfect book. It is a book all about Florida written in classic Dave Barry style.

Georgia

• Ava’s Man by Rick Bragg- This is the second book by Rick Bragg on this list. I love his writing about the south. He keeps it real, yet writes in a way that makes nonfiction read like fiction. Ava’s Man really works for either the state of Alabama or the Georgia, which is what I choose to use it for. The story of Rick Bragg’s grandparents takes place along the Georgia Alabama line. The family goes back and forth for years between the two states. Ava’s Man is the story of Rick Bragg’s grandfather, but in telling that story, it really incorporates the story of his whole family. This book is about life in the south during a time that many others have written about, but Rick Bragg’s style of writing makes it so interesting to read.

Hawaii

Need to read.

Idaho

• Educated by Tara Westover- I always struggle to say that I enjoyed a non-fiction book like this that shares a tragic event or difficult life and childhood. Maybe saying I found the book very fascinating is a better way to describe it. Once I started this book, I had trouble putting it down. In this book the author tells her story of a difficult childhood in rural Idaho which I why I knew it was perfect for a book about Idaho.

Illinois

Need to read

Indiana

Need to read

Iowa

• Dewey by Vicki Myron- Dewey The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World is an inspirational fun read. If you love books, libraries, or animals, I think you will enjoy this book. The book Dewey is all about a small town library in Iowa that adopted a cat that was left in the library book slot. The book follows Dewey’s life as he interacts with the people that visit the library and live in this small Iowa town. The town and library were not the same after adopting Dewey.

Kansas

Need to read

Kentucky

Need to read

Louisiana

• The Wind In the Reeds  by Wendell Pierce- I will admit that I know very little about Louisiana. I have never visited there and most of what I know probably comes from news stories that don’t always share the best about a place or culture. I don’t remember where I first heard about this book, but I am so glad I found it. I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a slow read and at times I found the writing to be lacking, but the overall story of the book was amazing. This book is part memoir part Louisiana history lesson. The author is the great-grandson of slaves, who grew up in Louisiana and become a Julliard trained artist and actor. He shares his family’s story from slavery to pre-Katrina and post Katrina. The author does a great job of sharing a story about life, community, strength, and family. If all you know about Katrina and Louisiana is from the news and television stories, I highly recommend that you read this book.

Maine

• The Stranger In the Woods by Michael Finkel- This was a fascinating book about a modern day hermit, and how he went undiscovered for years. It is one of those stories that is kind of unbelievable, but true. It happened in Maine and the book describes how Maine and its culture, landscape, and people made this possible.

Maryland

• The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore- This challenge has forced me outside of my comfort zone so many times. It forced me out of my comfort zone in a good way. I don’t think I would have ever picked up this book if it hadn’t been for this challenge. This book is not an easy read, but I think it is an important one. The book alternates between two kids/men named Wes Moore who were born blocks apart, and yet their lives took very different paths.

Massachusetts

• The Big House  by George Cole Howe- This was a great summer read and was perfect for my book about Massachusetts. This is another book that I wouldn’t have picked up if it was not for this challenge. This book follows the life of a family and the summer house that has been in the family for generations.

Michigan

Need to read

Minnesota

• Give a Girl a Knife by Amy Thielen- This book shares the story of the author growing up in Minnesota, living off the grid in rural Minnesota, traveling to New York to become a chef, and returning home to Minnesota again. About twenty five percent of this book takes place in New York, but this book is all about Minnesota. The life there and the desire to return to it. What I loved about this book though was that this could be the story of so many people. Many people leave the small town middle of no where place that they grew up never to return. Others though leave and then feel the constant pull that brings them back home. Home to the life they thought they wanted to escape, yet ends up being what they truly long for. If you grew up in a small town in America, this book will probably make you long for home again.

Mississippi

• The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist by Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington- This book was so fascinating, yet so sad. It is a story that is so hard to believe happened and yet it happened. Not only did it happen, it happened in recent history. This is not a long ago type of story. This is a “it happened in my generation” story.

Missouri

Need to read

Montana

Need to read

Nebraska

• Once Upon A Town by Bob Greene- I picked this book up at a used book store when I realized that it would work as a book about Nebraska. I had no idea if it was going to be good or not. But as soon as I read it I texted a friend that grew up in Nebraska and told her that she had to read this book. It was that good. This is one of those books that makes a state and town proud. If you are from Nebraska and haven’t heard the story of North Platte, you need to read this book. I loved Once Upon a Town because it shared a unique view of WWII. I have read quite a few WWII books, but I have never read one quite like this one. This book shared how a small town in middle America made a huge difference in WWII. Simple acts of kindness made in a difference in thousands of young men’s lives. This town only had a few minutes with soldiers coming to and from war, but they made the most of those few minutes. If you love WWII history, this is a great read.

Nevada

Need to read

New Hampshire

Need to read

New Jersey

Need to read

New Mexico

Need to read

New York

Need to read

North Carolina

• The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan- I enjoyed this book and it weaves so much of the history of that state into the story of the Vanderbilt family.

• Bryson City Tales by Walt Larimore MD- I loved this book about small town life in the Smoky Mountains. If you have ever lived or owned a business in a small town, this is a must read.

North Dakota

Need to read

Ohio

• The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio by Terry Ryan- This story in this book takes place in a small town in Ohio. It doesn’t cover a lot of Ohio history, but I am going to count it as my Ohio book because it shares a lot about what it was like to be a housewife in a small town in middle America during the 1950’s and 60’s. This is one reason that I am loving this challenge. So many of the books about an individual state tell the story about what so many others went through during that same time period.

Oklahoma

• Dust Bowl Girls by Lydia Reeder- This book made reading about girls basketball during the 1930’s interesting and fun. It is an inspiring story of how a group of girls, from small Oklahoma towns, inspired people going through some of the most difficult times in Oklahoma history. This book was not only a great read for my challenge, it will also make my list of top books for 2018.

• Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann- This had been in my to read pile since my father-in-law and Grace both read it and loved it. It will make my list of favorite books read in 2018. It was a perfect book to read for a bit of Oklahoma history. This is a nonfiction book that reads like fiction. If you enjoy true crime or crime and murder type fiction, I highly recommend this book. It would also be great for those that read a lot of fiction, but would like to read more nonfiction. Once I started this book, I could not put it down.

Oregon

• Shoe Dog by Phil Knight- I am going to count it as a book about Oregon. Nike was founded in Oregon and the book shares so much about Oregon and life in Oregon during the years that Nike became the company it is today.

• The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck- Some states might get two books, and Oregon is an example of that. This is totally different than the book Shoe Dog. The Oregon Trail A New American Journey covers so much more than Oregon history. It is a modern day story of two brothers, a covered wagon, and a team of mules who traveled the Oregon Trail in modern day. It weaves so much history of the Oregon Trail in an interesting and entertaining way.

Pennsylvania

Need to read

Rhode Island

• The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Lenore Skomal-This is a book I would have never picked up if it hadn’t been for this challenge and I am so glad I read it. It is about a time and place I know very little about.

South Carolina

Need to read

South Dakota

• The Children’s Blizzard by David Lakin-Did you ever read the book The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder? Do you remember how it talks about blizzard after blizzard after blizzard? Do you remember the story of trying to get home from school in the blizzard? Or how they had to grind wheat in their coffee grinder just to have something to eat? The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin is the real life, more detailed account, of winter on the Dakota prairies during 1888.

• A Long Way From Home by Tom Brokaw- A Long Way From Home Growing Up In The American Heartland by Tom Brokaw is an honest look at life in South Dakota. I picked this book up at a used book store and wasn’t sure what to expect. Most people that grew up in the 1970’s and 1980’s watched Tom Brokaw deliver the news for years. He was a staple in television news for years. A Long Way From Home is a book about Tom Brokaw’s childhood. He wrote a compelling book about his life growing up in South Dakota. A life that was not easy. He covers much about his family during the Great Depression, and how it effected them. He talks about overcoming hardships and how life in a small town impacts you. He also talks about how life in South Dakota has changed over the years.

Tennessee

• Whiskey In a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon- After reading several heavy more serious topics for this challenge and I needed a book that was more light and fun. This book is about the south, but Reese Witherspoon grew up in Tennessee so much of the book is about Tennessee. It is a great lighter read about the state of Tennessee.

Texas

• The Storm of the Century by Al Roker- This is a storm and part of Texas history that I knew very little about. It took me a few chapters to really get into the book, but once I did I really enjoyed it.

Utah

Need to read

Vermont

Need to read

Virginia

• Dimestore by Lee Smith- Memoirs are one of my favorite types of books to read. A well written memoir takes you to a time and place that you would never experience. It helps you see a world that you wouldn’t otherwise see. It helps you look into others lives. Lives that are usually very different from your own. Dimestore A Writer’s Life is a story about the small town Grundy in the mountains of Virginia. A town that is like so many towns in America. It is the type of town and way of life that is vanishing all across the U.S.

Washington

• The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown- This book weaves so much about Washington, the people, the weather, and more into it. It is perfect for a Washington state book.

West Virginia

Need to read

Wisconsin

Population 485 by Michael Perry- This book is about small town life in Wisconsin. It is about general small town life, but also incorporates so much about the life, weather, and culture of Wisconsin.

Wyoming

Need to read