Explore all the best non-fiction and fiction books set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — from a local! It’s an impactful reading list that, I can personally attest is representative of the real place. You’re bound to learn something new about my historic home here. Let’s get literary!
Top 10 Best Books Set in Philadelphia
TOP 3 BOOKS
Best Books About Philadelphia: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride was Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year. Long Bright River is a GMA book club pick that is the best book about Kensington, Philadelphia.
- All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore
- As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner
- Chasing My Cure by David Fajgenbaum
- Crossing the Line by Kareem Rosser
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
- In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
- Long Bright River by Liz Moore
- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
- The Philadelphia Heiress by Anita Abriel
- The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
- The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
- The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
- Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
- With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Reviews of the Top Fiction and Non-Fiction Philly Books
All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore
All We Were Promised takes place in pre-Civil War Philadelphia. Charlotte, a housemaid who fled a plantation, still feels trapped, hiding from slave catchers alongside her father. She befriends Nell, an abolitionist from a prominent Black family.
Their hope is tested when Evie, a friend from her past, arrives in danger. As Charlotte and Nell conspire to rescue her, they confront the risks of a city filled with racial unrest. This gripping tale explores friendship, courage, and the relentless pursuit of freedom.
As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner
As Bright As Heaven is historical fiction set during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. Pauline Bright and her husband came to Philadelphia, hoping they could give their three daughters a chance at a better life.
But after their arrival, the Spanish flu claims more than twelve thousand victims in their city. Amidst tragedy and challenges, they learn what they cannot live without.
Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope into Action by David Fajgenbaum
Chasing My Cure is a mind-blowing memoir. Dr. David Fajgenbaum was a collegiate athlete known as “The Beast” when his mother died of brain cancer.
Later, David studied cancer at Oxford in England and attended medical school at Philly’s University of Pennsylvania. When he started feeling ill, what resulted was a multi-year battle against a rare condition called Castleman’s Disease, which is like cancer and an auto-immune disease.
Through years of relapses and several near-death experiences, he decided to chase a cure to save his life and allow him to start a family. He earned an MBA at Penn’s Wharton to combine business with biomedical research.
Today, this real-life hero is years in remission. His is the rawest and most real story I have ever read.
Crossing the Line by Kareem Rosser
Crossing the Line is the memoir of the captain of the first all-Black squad to win the National Interscholastic Polo championship.
Rosser thought his family would forever be impoverished and surrounded by violence. But, when the Rosser brothers discovered a barn full of horses, the owner offered them riding lessons in exchange for after-school work.
The brothers became passionate about polo, but as Rosser strove for athletic success against the odds, he also strove to to keep the family together.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Dutch House is essentially about an unbreakable sibling bond. After the Conroy family moves into “The Dutch House” outside of Philadelphia, Maeve becomes like Danny’s mother as they grow through decades of life and often return to the nostalgia of their childhood home.
The Dutch House is a book that gives you “all the feels,” especially if you love a good family saga novel. It offers the nostalgia of growing up and tenderly explores themes of grief, wallowing in the past, forgiveness, parenthood, and sibling love. The ending gave me chills.
Reading Tip: Narrated empathetically by actor Tom Hanks, it’s also one of the best audiobooks of all time.
Related Posts: Review of The Dutch House | Book Club Questions for The Dutch House
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store is known as a “love-affirming” character-driven novel about the power of community.
In 1926, immigrant Jews and African Americans peacefully co-exist in their neighborhood. A young, deaf, and orphaned Black boy named Dodo is institutionalized at a local asylum, Pennhurst. So, his Jewish neighbors and extended family members plan to rescue him.
The characters and the themes (religion, racism, disability, and more) are abundant. The story is teased out by describing both the townspeople and famous people of the time to show how they affect each others’ lives. The novel also regularly compares and contrasts Chicken Hill to Philadelphia.
It makes your heart both break and swell, and it leaves you with the kind of book hangover only the most meaningful books can. It’s one of the most well-written books I’ve read — ever.
Related Posts: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store Characters | The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store Book Club Questions
In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner is a popular Philadelphia-based novel about sisters with some romance storylines woven into it. Rose is a Philadelphia attorney with a guilty pleasure for romance novels, and she dreams of meeting Mr. Right. She also desperately wants her younger sister, Maggie, to get her life in order.
Maggie is a stunner who dreams of fame and fortune. The only commonality they share is the same size feet.
After Maggie moves in with Rose, they change their lives and each other’s lives unexpectedly on their journeys toward self-discovery.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Long Bright River is one of the best books set in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. It’s a suspenseful thriller with compassion and a social conscience. These thrills have a purpose, and the characters are multifaceted– not just good or evil.
Mickey, a young female Philadelphia police officer and single mother, searches for her sister, a drug addict, on the streets of Kensington after she goes missing.
These sisters also carry with them their pasts. They were raised by their grandmother after their own mother died of an overdose.
Mickey is dutiful and driven, albeit guarded, and it’s easy to root for her. As the mystery of sister Kacey’s whereabouts unfolds, surprising twists occur. The reader also gains a deeper understanding of the longstanding effects of the opioid epidemic and its intersection with the police.
It’s one of the most memorable books I’ve ever read. You walk away with a new understanding of the issues presented, and you never forget them.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
I still get chills when I think about The Lovely Bones. The first 50 pages are tough: they detail the kidnapping, rape, and murder of a young teenage girl.
But, the remainder of the novel details her family’s search for her and her killer as they learn how to live without her. This isn’t a whodunnit, though. It’s more about the family’s grief journey. At times, it’s raw, and at other times, it’s beautiful.
If you can get past the traumatic events of this book and look for the beauty that springs from it, you, too, may love The Lovely Bones.
The Philadelphia Heiriss by Anita Abriel
The Philadelphia Heiress is a well-executed historical fiction novel that transports the reader to 1927. Helen is fascinated by cows but is forced to marry a wealthy aspiring author.
Her husband, obsessed with the literary giants of the age, causes strife in their marriage. In the vein of A Room With a View, the novel explores marriage and self-fulfillment at the time. It does so with an abundance of historic Philadelphia area references readers will still recognize today.
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
The School for Good Mothers is one dark and disturbing book! I recommend it to fans of books like The Handmaid’s Tale who are fully prepared to be shocked by the content.
Frida is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. She’s feeling unworthy of their sacrifices in her work and personal life, particularly as a newly single mom. One day, she mistakenly leaves her daughter at home. Unfortunately, the state watches mothers like her and she must prove herself as a fit and loving mom.
This book tackles an array of issues many women and mothers face today, but it does so in uniquely raw and intense ways. Buckle up!
The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
While primarily set in Italy, The Sicilian Inheritance is written by a Philadelphian and loaded with many Philly references.
The death of one Philadelphian’s beloved Aunt Rosie brings her to Sicily, where she comes to investigate the possible murder of her feisty great-grandmother there, all the while her husband worked in Pennsylvania.
I recommend it for book clubs or for a book you can’t go wrong with because there’s something for everyone here: historical fiction (with dual timelines), suspense, crime, mystery, romance, strong women, drama, and family.
Reading Tip: This book is based on a true crime story in the author’s family history. For those who like to indulge in a full multimedia experience, she released a corresponding podcast about it.
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
In The Silver Linings Playbook, Pat Peoples is released from a mental facility and heads home. He believes his life is a movie produced by God, and if he becomes more physically fit and emotionally literate, God will return his estranged wife to him.
But, no one will talk to him about his wife and his beloved Philadelphia Eagles are losing. Along the way, he meets Tiffany, who gives him a new lease on life.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Such a Fun Age is such a fun book! The story is about a young African American babysitter for a wealthy white woman’s child.
After the young woman is accused of kidnapping the child in a grocery store, the characters’ lives intersect in ways you won’t see coming. Themes of race, class, and youth are developed.
These longstanding issues feel fresh in this modern book. It also impactfully tackled issues new college graduates face, including health insurance. So many parts of this book make you think, “I hadn’t thought of it that way before.” This is one of the most powerful things a book can do.
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
In With the Fire on High, Emoni is a teen mom grappling with motherhood and the decision between college and cooking. Her voice is unique, engrossing, and refreshing. She feels like a friend, and it’s impossible not to like her.
It reads like Teen Mom mixed with your favorite cooking show. There are also diverse high school students and issues reminiscent of the Netflix show Never Have I Ever and a teenage European trip similar to the popular YA book Love & Gelato.
Recap
TOP 3 BOOKS SET IN PHILADELPHIA
Get started with my three favorite books on this list
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
- Long Bright River by Liz Moore
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
While it may not reside on a best seller’s list (yet), another finely written literary masterpiece set in Philadelphia is an obscure title on published on Amazon, called “Zion’s Falling” by freshman author M. Kier Murdock. It’s not your run-of-the-mill mystery/action adventure novel, it breaks the mold in regards to story-telling.