New Jersey is so much more than grimy power plants and long stretches of highway dotted by roadkill. Sure the Hockey Moms do kill their share of squirrels while applying their morning makeup on the way to the gym, however, that not what I’m getting at.

The Garden State is a land chock full of rich cultural and historical traditions. It’s a place were each individual has an experience that is Uniquely New Jersey. Try saying that ten times fast.

Living on the Edge of the World New Jersey (Edited by Irina Reyn) is a book of essays that give several different perspectives on living in New Jersey. It’s a book that will be hitting my nightstand this evening.

Here is a great opportunity to get dialed into your home or future home state. Take a break from the blogs and try reading a book. A book about New Jersey.

Click here to read an excerpt from the book

My father reminds me that Philip Roth’s new novel, Indignation, will be published in mid-September. Roth was born in Newark, and in many of his books the landscape of New Jersey figures prominently. For example, in his early novella, Goodbye Columbus, for which he won the National Book Award, the character of Brenda Patimkin lives in Short Hills, while the boy who falls in love with her, Neil Kugman, is from Newark.