Pennsylvania Books: The Best Books Set in the Keystone State

Book Summary

​Set against the vibrant backdrop of West Philadelphia, this novel explores motherhood, resilience, and the complexities of the foster care system.

The story intertwines the lives of two women from contrasting worlds: Brittney, a young mother striving to raise her three children after their father abandons them, and Rebecca, a 40-year-old affluent University of Pennsylvania professor who, after leaving her marriage, seeks to become a parent through foster care.

Their paths converge when Brittney’s children enter the foster system, leading to a custody battle that challenges both of their perceptions of family and motherhood.

Book Summary

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is known for its postcard-like small towns and the bucolic lifestyle of its many Amish residents. But the sense of peace is shattered when a dead infant is discovered in an Amish farmer’s barn. The investigation reveals that the baby’s mother, Katie, is an unmarried Amish teen, and that the infant did not die of natural causes.

One hundred miles away in the big city of Philadelphia, Ellie is a defense attorney with a high-profile career. However, she recently turned down a partnership offer from her firm. Looking for a change, she decides to step away from her work for an extended stay at her great-aunt’s home in Lancaster County.

When Ellie learns about Katie’s arrest, she sees a chance to represent a client who really needs her (not just the one who can afford her firm’s high price tag). The problem is that Katie doesn’t want to be defended. Ellie soon finds herself in a clash of cultures with a people whose system of justice looks very different from the one she works within. When Ellie calls on an old friend for guidance, things become even more complex.

Book Summary

This novel follows lifelong friends Riley, a Black television journalist, and Jen, a white woman married to a police officer. They’ve known each other since kindergarten, and they remain as close as sisters in adulthood. But their bond is tested when Jen’s husband is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager, an incident that Riley (who is poised to become one of Philadelphia’s first Black female anchors) is assigned to cover for her news station.

As the story unfolds from alternating perspectives, we see the strain on their friendship as they confront uncomfortable truths about privilege, systemic racism, and their own identities.

Book Summary

This is the story of the connection between two young women in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, more than 120 years apart.

In 1889, Elizabeth Haberlin, a privileged young woman from Pittsburgh, spends her summers at the exclusive South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, nestled in the Allegheny Mountains above Johnstown. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she discovers the club’s dam is on the verge of collapse, threatening the working-class town below. Elizabeth’s courageous actions during the ensuing disaster—the catastrophic Johnstown Flood—led her to assist Clara Barton and the American Red Cross in relief efforts.

In the present day, Lee Parker, an adopted teenager in California, uncovers a photograph of a woman resembling herself standing beside Clara Barton amid the flood’s aftermath. Driven to uncover her heritage, Lee’s journey leads her to Johnstown, where she unravels Elizabeth’s legacy of resilience and transformation.

Book Summary

In this coming-of-age novel, thirteen-year-old Jack Elliot wants to find a way to keep his oldest brother, Pete, from being drafted and sent to Vietnam. He overhears the men at the local barbershop complaining that famous boys don’t go to war, so he decides the best way to protect his brother is to make him the biggest celebrity in their small town. 

Jack and his cousin Frankie convince Jack’s brothers to hunt for a missing fighter jet that crashed in their neck of the woods a few winters back. If they find it, Pete will be a hero. But their summer plans become more complicated thanks to a beautiful girl, a greedy developer, and a wild motorcycle gang.

Book Summary

Hazel’s romance writing career has been stalled ever since a breakup left her with writer’s block. To make matters worse, she just lost her Upper East Side apartment, and her publisher is losing patience waiting for her next manuscript.

Facing an ultimatum – turn her book in by her next deadline or she’ll lose her publishing deal – she impulsively decides to relocate to a small town in Pennsylvania, hoping it will provide just the inspiration she needs. She buys a historic house sight unseen. After a less-than-smooth arrival in town (including a run-in with the local wildlife), she discovers that the house is dilapidated and the town is also on its last legs.

On the bright side, despite his grumpy demeanor, the contractor she hires to help renovate her house provides some swoon-worthy inspiration.

Book Summary

In this memoir, Dr. Michele Harper, an African American ER physician, shares her journey of personal and professional healing. Raised in Washington, D.C., in a family marked by abuse, Michele’s early experiences inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. After completing her residency in New York, her marriage ends just as she begins a new position in Philadelphia.

She provides intimate patient narratives—from trauma victims to terminally ill individuals—and delves into themes of systemic racism, gender inequality, and the emotional toll of caregiving. Each encounter offers her further insights into the resilience of the human spirit and the complexities of healing.

Throughout the memoir, she intertwines her personal struggles with her medical practice, illustrating how confronting her own vulnerabilities leads to strength and compassion as a doctor.

Book Summary

This sweeping historical novel chronicles the lives of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler against the backdrop of America’s founding. The story begins with Hamilton’s challenging youth in the Caribbean and follows his rise as a key figure in the American Revolution and the early U.S. government.

It also explores Eliza’s life as the daughter of a prominent family and her enduring partnership with Hamilton. Through alternating perspectives, the novel delves into their personal and political struggles, including Hamilton’s controversial affair and his fatal duel with Aaron Burr.

Book Summary

This novel focuses on the intertwined relationship between Alix, a successful white woman, and Emira, her toddler’s 25-year-old black babysitter.

When Emira visits Alix’s neighborhood high-end grocery store, an overzealous security guard believes she’s kidnapped Briar, Alix’s daughter. The encounter between Emira and the guard is filmed, making Emira both angry and embarrassed. Alix is also upset and determined to do something, but then the viral video brings something from her own past to light.

Book Summary

Harry has always loved trees, but he spends his days behind a computer as an analyst in a treeless US Forest Service office. After his wife dies suddenly and tragically, Harry can’t seem to move forward. One day, he decides to follow his wife’s advice – he quits his job and escapes to the remote woods of northeastern Pennsylvania to be with the trees.

There, he meets Oriana, a young girl who has suffered a significant loss of her own. She spends most of her time in the forest with her book in the treehouse her father bought for her. They bond over their love of the forest and the trees.

The octogenarian librarian in town gives Oriana a strange, handwritten book called The Grum’s Ledger. With this book as their guide, Oriana helps Harry believe in the magic, if only he’s willing to open his eyes and see it.

Book Summary

This mystery thriller uses the setting of Philadelphia as a gritty character. Two sisters occupy a neighborhood greatly impacted by the opioid crisis. They used to be inseparable, but now Kacey walks the streets in a haze of addiction while Mickey patrols as a cop. 

As a new string of murders begins in the area, Kacey disappears. Mickey can’t help but let personal feelings become involved as she obsessively searches for both Kacey and the killer.

Book Summary

House of Eve alternates perspectives of our main characters in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Ruby’s story is told in first-person perspective as she tries to become the first person in her lower-income family to attend higher education. However, her plans are threatened when she begins to fall for a Jewish boy.

Eleanor’s story is told from the third-person perspective as she arrives in D.C. with equal parts ambition and secrets. Like Ruby, Eleanor’s plans are changed when she falls for a man, William, at Howard University. William is from one of Washington’s elite, wealthy Black families, and his parents are picky about who is good enough to join them.

While this setup feels like a romance novel, this is a fast-moving historical fiction novel that will take you into a piece of history you may know little about. Don’t miss the author’s note at the end!

Book Summary

This coming-of-age memoir opens in 1975 with the fall of Saigon when five-year-old Phuc Tran’s family immigrated to a small town in Pennsylvania. Most of the book, however, covers Phuc’s older childhood/teen years throughout the 1980s.

Part immigrant story and part coming-of-age tale, this book is described as a misfit’s memoir of great books, punk rock, and the fight to fit in. It is all of that and much more.

Book Summary

Newlywed Ruth is a law school graduate and has an independent streak stronger than most young women in her posh suburban neighborhood. However, she still wants to impress her mother-in-law, who has signed Ruth up for etiquette lessons with Lillian Diamond. 

Fellow etiquette-classmate Carrie is quiet, but has a dark secret. As witty Ruth befriends Carrie, they form an unbreakable bond. Ruth pushes Lillian and all of her Diamond Girls to question the status quo and stretch beyond their comfort zones as they unite to protect one of their own.

Book Summary

For generations, the Millers have lived in Miller’s Valley. The novel follows Mimi Miller, who grows up in a rural farming community. It’s a place quietly threatened by the government’s plans to flood the area for a reservoir.

As Mimi eavesdrops on her parents and quietly observes those in her community, she learns about the toxicity of family secrets, the dangers of gossip, the flaws of marriage, the inequalities of friendship and the risks of passion, loyalty, and love. 

As Mimi matures from a curious child into a driven young woman with aspirations beyond her small town, she witnesses the slow unraveling of her community, her family, and long-held secrets. As she says, “No one ever leaves the town where they grew up, even if they go.”

Book Summary

The Miller family’s quiet life in Hickory Hollow is disrupted when Adeline Pelham arrives, claiming to be the daughter of Earnest Miller from a previous marriage. Her unexpected presence brings to light long-held family secrets, challenging the trust and unity within the Amish household.

Sylvia Miller, Earnest’s only daughter, grapples with feelings of betrayal and confusion, especially as her engagement to Titus Kauffman becomes strained under the weight of these revelations.

As Adeline seeks to understand her heritage and connect with her newfound family, both she and Sylvia embark on journeys of self-discovery, forgiveness, and faith. Through their intertwined stories, the novel explores the complexities of familial bonds and the healing power of grace.

Book Summary

Chuck finds himself at a loss months after the death of his wife, Cat. How can he pack for their annual winter trip to Hilton Head alone? And what should he do with her favorite towel and her sketchbooks?

Elle delivers newspapers in the morning and works in a bridal shop in the afternoon, but her mind isn’t on either job as she awaits news about her missing daughter.

Kirsten had big plans for veterinary school, but after the sudden death of her father, she finds herself at a new crossroads.

Book Summary

By the end of the Gilded Age, Andrew Carnegie had amassed an unimaginable fortune. Clara Kelley is thought to be the influence who changed Andrew Carnegie from a ruthless industrialist into what may have been the world’s first true philanthropist.

Clara started working for him under the guise of an experienced Irish maid, but in reality, Clara was a poor farmer’s daughter. Keeping up the ruse is difficult when you don’t know the rules of being a lady’s maid.

However, Clara has the resolve of Pittsburgh steel, combined with a fierce instinct for business. Soon, she becomes someone that Andrew relies on. As they get closer, she knows that being her true self would be too big of a risk to her family.

Book Summary

High School senior Emoni has her hands full between having her own daughter, plus an Abuela to take care of at home. Her only escape from stresses beyond what most adults experience happens in the kitchen. Not only does she love cooking, she’s good at it. Her food tastes like magic.

Emoni’s school has a culinary arts program, but it requires time and money she doesn’t have for the class trip to Spain. But she has so much talent, it’s hard to keep it hidden.

Book Summary

Vale has long searched for a sense of belonging, and at twenty-nine, she was starting to hit her stride in the Pittsburgh bar she opened with her father, Bo. However, when the bar has a fire and she learns the insurance hasn’t been paid, she’s back to square one.

Her grandmother, Iris, lets Vale return to her home in Philadelphia. However, she learns that her half-sister, Blythe, has already moved into the guest room amidst problems in her marriage. Everyone in the family brings their own complications, including Vale’s mother, Audrey, whom she hasn’t seen in years. This poignant novel is about family secrets, healing, and the hope of second chances.

Book Summary

Cyril grew up in poverty, but after WW2, an investment changed the course of his future. With his enormous new wealth, he buys a lavish estate named the Dutch House in a Philly suburb. While he buys it with the best intentions as a surprise for his wife, the home is also the beginning of his family’s downfall. 

The book’s narrator is his son Danny as he and his beloved sister Maeve are exiled from the grand house by their stepmother. For five decades after being thrown back into poverty, Danny and Maeve return to look at the home from beyond the gates, like checking in on a relative. The only thing keeping the siblings moving forward in life is their bond with each other.

Book Summary

As the US celebrates the end of WWI in 1918, the Spanish flu brings a new threat to American cities. In Philadelphia, 13-year-old Pia, a German immigrant, is forced to venture out into the quarantined city in search of food for her and her younger brothers.

Amid anti-immigrant sentiment in her city and the grief of losing her baby to the Spanish flu, Bernice Groves formulates a plot to transform the city’s orphans and immigrant children into “true Americans.”

After collapsing on the street, Pia wakes up days later in a hospital, desperate to return to her brothers, but instead, she is taken to an orphan asylum.

Book Summary

Summer Sullivan is the youngest founding member of Elm Creek Quilts. She has spent the last two years pursuing a master’s degree in history at the University of Chicago, but she’s suffering from writer’s block and hasn’t yet finished her thesis.

She returns home to Elm Creek to help organize an exhibit of antique quilts as a fundraiser for needed renovations at Union Hall, the headquarters of the Waterford Historical Society. She hopes this project will provide just the distraction she needs from the stress of her thesis deadline.

As she conducts research for the exhibit, she uncovers some unsettling details about her community’s past, raising questions of racism, economic injustice, and corruption. Quilt lovers and history buffs praise the collection, but local leaders demand that she remove references to the town’s troubled history. Her pursuit of the truth could threaten the Historical Society’s chance to save Union Hall, unless she can rally the quilting community behind her cause.

This is a moving story about the power of collective memory and the role quilting plays.

Book Summary

Jude and Indira have been enemies since childhood and, even as adults, remain polar opposites. Jude is a doctor who has been traveling the world from one humanitarian crisis to another, but still feels like he has nothing in his life together. Meanwhile, Indira has the perfect job and dream boyfriend…until she doesn’t.

At a mutual friend’s stressful wedding event, Jude and Indira agree to be each other’s fake dates to remove the stress of showing up alone. But when they’re forced to be closer than expected, will they realize that this wedding from hell really is better when they’re together?

Book Summary

Megan worked as a lawyer in Chicago before returning home to care for her grandmother and the family’s organic farm. She hopes to find a slower-paced, peaceful life in the scenic town.

Instead, her goat disappears, the town denies her permits for a cafe, and the farm is quickly depleting her savings account. Just as she thinks things can’t get any worse, she and the town’s veterinarian find the zoning commission dead in her barn! Suddenly, she’s not just a struggling farmer, she’s a murder suspect.

Book Summary

Charlie is a wallflower observing high school from the sidelines until he meets two outgoing outsiders, beautiful Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, who help him start experiencing life. As Charlie’s worldview expands to include music, sex, drugs, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show, we learn everything he thinks and feels through the letters he writes to an anonymous reader he refers to as “friend.”