Meghan Kraft loves to travel the world, but she makes her home right here in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a degree in English, and has worked in the digital marketing realm with companies such as Apartments.com, USA Today and HarperCollins Publishing.
These literary classics have made your bookshelf home for years, but we bet you had no idea they were set in Tennessee. The southern state boasts rolling hills and writing greats, books that have won the Pulitzer and the hearts of the public for years. Take a look for yourself!
1) James Agee crafted a beautiful depiction of human heartache and grief in his novel, "A Death in the Family." The 1957 classic set in Knoxville, TN was published post-mortem and the swirling epic of southern style humanity is sure to keep you buying boxes of tissues.
2) 1960's Sevier County is the setting for, "Child of God," a piece in which a young man with violent tendencies mirrors each reader with a stunningly eerie vivacity.
3) The famous Bell Witch case has it's own literary rendition with, "The Bell Witch: An American Haunting." Considered one of the most horrific and documented hauntings in American history, you simply can't miss this Northern Tennessee chiller.
4) "The Firm"takes place in Memphis, TN with a newly relocated lawyer at the forefront and Grisham's hard and proven storytelling at the helm.
5) Local Nashville author Ann Patchett paints a picture of friendship and heartbreak in her autobiographical memoir, "Truth & Beauty." The piece chronicles her close friendship with fellow writer Lucy Grealy as well as the artists doomed fate and radical heart.
6) A majority of Walker's Pulitzer Prize winning novel takes place in rural Georgia, though major plot points occur just north in the breathtaking countryside of eastern Tennessee. This piece of literature has been banned from multiple school districts but continues to shed a light on the ache of racial tension in twentieth century America.
7) Blink and you'll miss it, but McCarthy's, "The Road" begins in Tennessee with a billboard that reads, "See Rock City." This is the second book the author sets in the southern state, and the first one that will keep you turning pages late into the night.
8) Good evening, Clarice. You know the terrifying nature of the movie, but have you read the book? Harris' novel has the infamous Hannibal Lector being held in a Memphis prison, so you have Tennessee to thank for his first sighting of the determined FBI trainee.
9) Twain pens a fantastic piece of solid literature with, "The Gilded Age," a Tennessee based book that satirizes United States political figures and agenda.
10) Although more popular for his previous novel, "From here to Eternity," James Jones pens a heroic addition to his bestselling trilogy with Tennessee based, "Whistle." The book chronicles the emotional journey of a war veteran and the vibrant horrors of lingering memory.
With each book more shocking than the next, we bet you’re you’ll never question the literary prowess of the Volunteer State again. Tell us which ones you’ve read in the comments below!
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
