State the Book or Book the State Part 1 Quiz

Answer: To Kill a Mockingbird

¨To Kill a Mockingbird¨ (1960) was written by Harper Lee (1926-2016) and loosely based on people and events from her childhood. Lee grew up in Monroeville, AL, and the novel is set in an Alabama town. The narrator is a young girl named Scout whose father, Atticus, has the job of defending an African-American man named Tom Robinson who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman.

The character Dill is based on Lee´s childhood friend, Truman Capote. The book is both a bestseller and a target of censorship.

Answer: The Yiddish Policemen's Union

Michael Chabon (born 1963) wrote ¨The Yiddish Policeman´s Union"(2007). The novel is an alternate history which imagines that the city of Sitka, AK became an place of refuge for European Jews. In our timeline, this was a possibility that was actually considered, although ultimately rejected.

The book itself is a mystery, with the Sitka Police Department investigating a murder. The book received generally positive reviews and spent six weeks on the "New York Times" bestseller list.

Answer: The Andromeda Strain

¨The Andromeda Strain¨ (1969) was one of the first very popular novels written by Michael Crichton. The novel was adapted for a movie of the same title in 1971. The novel takes place in and around Piedmont, AZ. A military satellite has recently returned to Earth there and it is believed that it may have had extra-terrestrial contact.

It has in fact been carrying an alien microorganism, which has grave consequences for the area.

Answer: True Grit

¨True Grit¨ (1968) was written by Charles Portis (born 1933). It tells of a teen-aged girl named Mattie Ross, from Yell County, AR, who is looking for a bounty hunter to capture a farmhand who has killed her father. She hires Rooster Cogburn, a man she believes has ¨true grit¨. Though parts of the novel take place in Indian Territory (today´s Oklahoma), parts also take place in Fort Smith, AK, as well as Yell County.

The novel has been adapted as a film in 1969 and 2010. For the former, John Wayne won his only Oscar for portraying Rooster Cogburn.

Answer: East of Eden

"East of Eden" (1952) was written by John Steinbeck (1902-1968). Largely set in California's Salinas Valley in the early 20th century, the novel tells the story of the Hamilton and Trask families. Literary analysis of the novel notes many comparisons between the novel and the Biblical story of Cain and Abel.

The 1955 film adaptation of the novel was directed by Elia Kazan and starred James Dean.

Answer: The Shining

Stephen King (born 1947) was the author of "The Shining" (1977). Unlike many of King's novels, which are set in Maine, "The Shining" takes place in the Colorado Rockies. Jack Torrance has taken a job as the off-season caretaker at the Overlook Hotel.

The term "shining" refers to the psychic abilities manifested by Jack's young son. "The Shining" was adapted in 1980 into a film that stars Jack Nicholson.

Answer: The Stepford Wives

Ira Levin (1929-2007) wrote "The Stepford Wives" (1972). The book is set in the fictional town of Stepford, CT, which is loosely based on the real-life town of Wilton, CT. Joanna Eberhart, a newcomer to the town notices that something seems off about the other women of the town, as if something or someone is altering or replacing the women. "The Stepford Wives" was adapted for film in 1975 and 2004.

Answer: The Book of Unknown Americans

"The Book of Unknown Americans" (2014) was written by Cristina Henriquez. The novel follows the Rivera family, who immigrate to Newark, DE from Mexico, in order to obtain medical treatment for their daughter Maribel. Once there, they become friendly with the Toro family, whose parents came from Panama, living in the same apartment complex.

The website "The Daily Beast" named the novel the 2014 novel of the year.

Answer: Alas, Babylon

"Alas, Babylon" (1959) was written by Pat Frank--pen name of journalist Harry Frank (1908-1964). The novel is set in Fort Repose, a town in central Florida. A nuclear attack from the Soviet Union has greatly altered life throughout the United States.

The phrase "Alas, Babylon" is a code-word that warns of danger. "Alas, Babylon" was adapted as a 1960 episode of the television series "Playhouse 90".

Answer: The Color Purple

Alice Walker (born 1944) was the author of "The Color Purple" (1982). The novel is largely set in rural Georgia. The 1985 film adaptation is notable for being directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Oprah Winfrey. The novel focuses on Celie, a teenaged African-American girl.

She is married to an older widower who is looking for someone to care for his house and his children. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983.