Unsheltered - by Barbara Kingsolver

In 21st century Vineland, New Jersey Willa Knox, her husband, father-in-law, two grown children, and one grandchild move to a dilapidated house on Plum Street after having to leave their home in Virginia following a job loss.

On the same Plum Street lot in 19th century Vineland, Thatcher Greenwood, his wife, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law also live a house that may very well fall apart around them.

Is there a historic significance to Willa's house that could save it? Only good research will tell!

On her maiden voyage to the Vineland Historical Society, Willa discovers that the town was designed as a Utopian community in 1861 by Charles Landis, and that

within the first decade Vineland had eighteen public schools...Three seminaries, fourteen churches, Masonic and Odd Fellows Societies, a public library, and a hall built on Plum Street to host one of the country's most exciting public lecture series.

Well, after all, what kind of a utopia would it be if it had no public library?

And, in fact Thatcher Greenwood and his friend Mary Treat made good use of said library (as well as the Harvard Library and the Boston Public Library) in their day. Willa, on the other hand, is more of an archives person, making use of the files (with the help of curator Christopher Hawk) at the Historical Society. Hawk's connections at the National Agricultural Library land Willa with a trove of letters written by Mary Treat, and thus, the book comes full circle.