After Michael Deagler's protagonist Dennis Monk in Early Sobrieties is ejected from his parent's house in suburban Bucks County, he drifts, as many former small-town and suburban kids do, to the nearest big city. As much as Early Sobrieties is a book about new starts to life, it is also an ode to South Philadelphia, which officially became included in the city proper starting in 1854 and has changed in many ways since then. South Philly neighborhoods feature prominently in chapters of Deagler's novel, from Southwark ("Southwark") to Grays Ferry ("Kid Stuff") and Moyamensing ("Moyamensing").

The area that is now South Philadelphia was first inhabited by the Lenape, then by Dutch settlers, and over time took on the cultural identities of various groups that arrived there. In the early 19th century, free Black Americans and Irish immigrants formed the largest communities. In an atmosphere of tension due to competition over jobs, Black residents were targeted by white mobs during ...