Read These Books Before You Visit Philadelphia PA

If you’re preparing for a trip to Philadelphia, you’ll want to get an idea of its culture, its history, and its essence before you go. Head out and pick up a few quintessential Philadelphia books, whether they’re simply set here or focus on its extensive history.

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner is one of Philadelphia’s most prolific writers, and she still resides in the city, where many of her bestsellers are set. In Her Shoes, which was adapted into a film starring Toni Collette, Shirley MacLaine, and Cameron Diaz, tells the story of two sisters who couldn’t be more different forming an unlikely bond, all set against the backdrop of Philadelphia.

This important work by W.E.B. DuBois, published in 1899, is one of the defining sociological studies of not just the city but of the African-American community. In it, DuBois mapped out every single business, residential area, and church in Philadelphia’s Seventh Ward and analyzed each piece of data to fully understand the Black experience in 19th-century Philadelphia.

Courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania Press

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Philadelphia was hit hard by the yellow fever epidemic in the late 18th century, to the point where many yellow fever victims are still buried in Washington Square Park. Laurie Halse Anderson’s Fever 1793 is told from the perspective of a teenage girl living through this terrifying and historically important time.

Courtesy of Simon & Schuster Book for Young Readers

Third and Indiana by Steve Lopez

Third and Indiana, an intersection in the Fairhill neighborhood of Philadelphia, is the setting of this novel about 14-year-old Gabriel Santoro, who is struggling to survive in a gang-infested atmosphere known as the “Badlands.”

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Everyone knows about Benjamin Franklin, the prolific inventor and Founding Father, so why not experience his life in his own words? This book, published posthumously as Memoirs, set the standard for all autobiographies to come.

Courtesy of CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

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