There are a lot of great books out there. Some are popular worldwide, some more regionally, and maybe some just fall under the radar altogether.

Whatever the case, many great books have used Iowa as their backdrop, and I want to celebrate those books today!

Books Set in the Hawkeye State

One of the most famous books set in Iowa is set in a fictional Iowa town. What's Eating Gilbert Grape, which was turned into a highly successful film starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, and a very young Leonardo DiCaprio, was set in fictional Endora.

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But there are many, many other books set in Iowa.

Photo by Alexandra Fuller on Unsplash
Photo by Alexandra Fuller on Unsplash
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Sleeping with the Enemy is another very popular book turned into a film, this time starring the legendary Julia Roberts. The book centers around a character moving to Cedar Falls so she can escape from her controlling and very abusive husband.

The book about the character Sara Burney came out in 1987, and the film followed in 1991.

But there have been lots more books centered on our state, let's dive into the books set in Iowa! I'd love to know how many of these you've read, or at least heard of. Perhaps you've heard of some of these, but had no idea the Iowa-based connection!

Have a look:

LOOK: Books set in Iowa

Stacker compiled a list of books set in Iowa from Goodreads.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

Every good book needs a good meal to go with it, right? Check out all the best burger winners in Iowa since 2010! Bon appetite!

All of Iowa's Best Burger Winners Since 2010

Every year, the Iowa Beef Industry Council puts on a contest to figure out which restaurant has the most delicious burger in the state. Here are all all the honorees that are still in business as of January 2024:

Gallery Credit: Courtlin

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