Ohio

Six Books About Ohio, the Heart of it All

Published

2 weeks ago

January 21, 2026

Six Books About Ohio, the Heart of it All

Lauren Schott Recommends Celeste Ng, Joyce Carol Oates, Tiffany McDaniel, and More

Ohio has gotten a bad rap lately, and it hurts. I was born and raised in Akron and, even though I moved away twenty-five years ago, the place still feels like home and remains my go-to setting when writing fiction. My debut thriller Very Slowly All at Once takes place in the Cleveland suburb of Bratenahl, a small strip of land along the southern shore of Lake Erie.

I’d actually never even been to that part of Cleveland when I started work on the novel. I was trying to decide on a neighborhood for my upwardly mobile main characters, and Celeste Ng had already cornered the market on Shaker Heights. Bratenahl, I discovered, is a place of huge estates built by the Cleveland industrialists, two totally incongruous (and contentious) high rises from the 1960s, and even, at one point during the Cold War, a military base full of anti-aircraft missiles. It’s one of Cleveland’s wealthiest suburbs yet is surrounded on three sides by some of the city’s most socioeconomically deprived areas. Former residents included, to name but a few, Eliot Ness, a Kardashian, and actress Margaret Hamilton, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West. There was so much rich history to draw from, and so many scandals and struggles to remain independent from the rest of Cleveland, that I felt like I’d discovered a secret slice of my state that no one knew about.

But Ohio is like that: it surprises you. Shiny cities, rocky shores, muddy swamps, small towns founded by pioneers pushing westward… And then of course the wide, flat fields that are so many people’s only vision of the Buckeye state.

For me, Ohio is the place where so much of America swirls together: the prim stoicism of New Englanders, the bravado of New Yorkers, a helping of Southern charm, some good old Appalachian grit. It’s not always an easy mix and the landscape can be unforgiving, but, as so many of these novels show, even the darker side of life in Ohio offers up rich lives worth examining.

Patrick Ryan, Buckeye

This family saga is set in the fictitious northwestern Ohio town of Bonhomie, founded in 1857 on land made fertile by a melting Canadian glacier. The place starts out as a neat grid, and as the novel unfolds over two wars and the relationships between the characters get messier, the town does too: sprawling suburban shopping centers pop up on the outskirts. Buckeye doesn’t shy away from what war does to ‘ordinary’ Americans, but there’s beauty and redemption in the heartbreak. The inclusion of Cedar Point, the Sandusky amusement park that featured in every one of my childhood summers, was a personal highlight.

Tiffany McDaniel, Betty

Three of McDaniel’s novels are set in the fictional town of Breathed, Ohio. In Betty, the namesake heroine’s roots stretch back to the Native Americans. By the time this novel begins, most of the Cherokee tribe have been forcibly removed to Oklahoma, but Betty’s father has stayed behind as part of those willing to describe themselves as “Black Dutch,” and marries her white mother. Theirs is an Ohio of racism, violence and tragedy but also infused with magic: inspired by her father’s stories and traditions, Betty, like McDaniel, becomes a writer forged in Appalachian foothills.

Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere

Shaker Heights, the suburban Cleveland setting for Ng’s novel about motherhood, race, and privilege, is the perfect location for a novel about middle class America. The real-life regulations on what color to paint your house, how short to cut your grass, and exactly where to put your garbage can on trash day make this suburb ripe for an outsider and her teenage daughter to come along and shake things up. Ng perfectly captures the strange otherness of the place; in reality, there’s no physical barrier between Shaker Heights and the neighborhoods that surround it, but when you cross into Shaker, you’ll know it immediately. The grass really is greener, at least for some.

Curtis Sittenfeld, Eligible

In Sittenfeld’s modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice, a sprawling Tudor in an upscale Cincinnati neighborhood stands in for Longbourne in Hertfordshire. Both places could seem a bit boring, until the Bennet sisters and their suitors show up. Like her Georgian counterpart, Liz Bennet in 2013 enjoys being out in the fresh air, and her long runs offer both an opportunity to encounter Mr Darcy (here a brain surgeon from San Francisco) and showcase the local sites, including the famed Skyline Chili. It’s not Georgian England and it’s not Manhattan, where Liz had been living until her father had a heart attack and she had to return to Cincy, but this country-club-centered version of Ohio still feels high society enough to carry the original novel’s preoccupations with class, marriage, and what everyone will think of you forward into our millennium.

Tracy Chevalier, On the Edge of the Orchard

I’d wager that most Ohio schoolchildren grew up learning songs about Johnny Appleseed, and this historical novel set in southern Ohio in 1838 features the man behind the legend, John Chapman, who sold his seeds and saplings to settlers like Chevalier’s Goodenough family. This is no Little House on the Prairie though; it’s a darker take on the American pioneer experience. Alcoholic Sadie wants to grow apples they can use to make cider, and her husband James is obsessed with growing perfect eaters, in between digging graves for his children that have succumbed to fever in the swampland they inhabit. It’s an inhospitable vision of Ohio, to say the least, and yet the Goodenough who eventually makes it out and heads west to Goldrush California can’t escape the pull of his Ohio roots, almost literally.

Joyce Carol Oates, A Book of American Martyrs

This harrowing novel about the murder of a doctor at an abortion clinic in small town Ohio, and that crime’s life-shattering effect on the two families involved, encapsulates the state’s ideological divide. But what Oates does here is to explore the repercussions of the conflict between the Evangelical killer and his victims by looking at the next generation. We feel as the daughters do: weighed down by the past but still trying to make something of it all. Ohio doesn’t come out looking great, but it’s a harrowing and thoughtful rendering of the battleground for a brutal struggle that remains at the heart of America.

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Very Slowly All At Once by Lauren Schott is available from Harper.

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Ohio

Ex-Ohio State player charged in girlfriend’s murder after body found in Tennessee

Published

11 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Ex-Ohio State player charged in girlfriend’s murder after body found in Tennessee

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Former NFL linebacker and key member of Ohio State’s 2014 national championship football team, Darron Lee, was charged in his girlfriend’s murder after her body was found in a Tennessee home.

According to WTVC, deputies in Hamilton County went to a residence on February 5 on Snow Cone Way in Ooltewah to a report of CPR in progress. First responders located a female victim and attempted life-saving measures, but she died from her injuries.

Sheriff’s detectives said her death was the result of a homicide. Her boyfriend, Darron Lee, was identified as the suspect and taken into custody at the scene.

WTVC said the date of birth for Lee in the county booking system matches the ESPN profile of a former NFL linebacker of the same name.

Lee, a former OSU linebacker, was the defensive MVP of Ohio State’s unforgettable Sugar Bowl win over Alabama in 2015, paving the way for the Buckeyes most recent football title.

He played high school football at New Albany, and after leaving OSU early to declare for the NFL Draft, Lee was drafted in the first round by the New York Jets. He also played for Kansas City, with whom he won a Super Bowl, as well as Buffalo and Las Vegas.

Lee was arrested for assault and domestic violence in Dublin back in 2023. He pleaded guilty to a lesser offense in 2025, resulting in a 90-day jail sentence, with 88 days suspended. He was placed on probation through February 2027.

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He has now been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in Hamilton County.

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Ohio

Snow delivers one-two punch to Friday travel in Northeast Ohio: Latest timeline

Published

23 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Snow delivers one-two punch to Friday travel in Northeast Ohio: Latest timeline

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Travel conditions across Northeast Ohio are expected to deteriorate in waves Friday as an Alberta clipper and Arctic front move through the region, bringing multiple rounds of winter weather during both the morning and evening commutes.

While this is not expected to be a major snowstorm, the system is likely to create multiple periods of hazardous travel Friday. Widespread snowfall of 2 to 4 inches is expected across Northeast Ohio, with an additional inch or two possible in the snowbelt east of Cleveland.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect for all of Northeast Ohio through early Saturday, with forecasters emphasizing that the combination of snow, blowing snow and sharply falling temperatures — rather than just totals — will drive travel impacts.

Early morning: Freezing drizzle, light snow create slick start

Some areas of Northeast Ohio saw freezing drizzle around daybreak Friday, a setup that can quickly glaze untreated roads and sidewalks.

Snow is expected to overspread the area around 8 a.m. Forecasters say light to occasionally moderate snowfall will make roads snow covered in spots, particularly on secondary streets.

While snowfall rates are not expected to be extreme, the combination of cold pavement temperatures and early precipitation could slow the morning commute.

Within Northeast Ohio, lighter but steady snow is expected through late morning, while the heaviest snowfall rates are forecast farther southwest of the region.

Late morning into early afternoon: Snow tapers, brief lull

Snow is expected to ease or end from west to east late Friday morning into early afternoon, allowing road crews a window to improve conditions.

Forecasters caution that this lull will be temporary and should not be mistaken for the end of the event.

Evening commute: Arctic front brings burst of snow, squalls

The most hazardous conditions are expected late Friday afternoon into the evening as an Arctic cold front sweeps across Northeast Ohio between roughly 4 and 8 p.m.

A broken line of heavier snow showers or snow squalls are expected to accompany the front, producing brief but intense snowfall rates, rapidly falling visibility and a quick hit of snow on roadways. Wind gusts could reach 35 to 45 mph, leading to blowing and drifting snow, especially in open areas.

Temperatures will drop sharply behind the front, allowing any moisture on roadways to freeze quickly and worsen travel conditions.

Overnight: Snow tapers, dangerous cold sets in

Snow showers will gradually diminish late Friday night, though localized lake-enhanced snow may linger in parts of the snowbelt.

Behind the storm, Arctic air will surge into the region, sending overnight temperatures down to between 5 and minus 5 degrees. Wind chills are expected to fall to 15 to 25 degrees below zero by early Saturday, prompting a cold weather advisory across the region through noon Saturday.

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Ohio State’s Ryan Day Makes Bold Claim About Julian Sayin Going Into 2026

Published

1 day ago

February 5, 2026

Press Room

Ohio State’s Ryan Day Makes Bold Claim About Julian Sayin Going Into 2026

The Ohio State Buckeyes are still feeling the effects of losing in the College Football Playoffs, when they were one of the favorites to win it all, but the focus shifts to the 2026 season and preparations for it.

Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day released a new episode of his show “The Ryan Day Show” when he talked about his young quarterback Julian Sayin after finishing his first season as the starting quarterback. Day made sure everyone knew his feelings on Sayin.

“We feel like we have the best quarterback coming back in college football next year,” Day said. “One of the youngest guys to get to New York City, I think, in a while. Most of the guys who’ve been going there are older guys. So we’re all excited about this year for him and taking the next step, even as a leader, and all the different things. But obviously a great first year for him.”

Ryan Day backs his quarterback Julian Sayin as the best in the nation in 2026

Sayin was very impressive in his first full season as the starter and proved his coach right, proving he is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. He finished with a completion percentage of 77% and a QBR of 88.4, throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns to eight interceptions.

It helps that Sayin has two of the best wide receivers in the nation at his disposal: Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith. Sayin also had one of the top tight ends in college football with Max Klare helping out.

The 2026 season will be a true test for Sayin as the starting quarterback, as he will still have Smith, but Klare and Tate are heading to the NFL. Ohio State could lean more on running back Bo Jackson to help in the run game to balance out the offense, but more pressure is on Sayin to perform.

Another challenge for Sayin is the tougher schedule Ohio State will face compared to the one it had in the 2025 season. The Buckeyes will have to play top teams like Oregon, Indiana, Texas, and Michigan on the calendar. Not an easy task for a team with a lot to prove after their disappointing 2025 campaign.

There’s a lot of belief in Sayin that he will be an early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2026, and with Day by his side, the Buckeyes might have a tougher season ahead, but they have always had enough talent to work through their struggles. They should be considered for the national title because of their quarterback.

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