The first part of oldies But goodies, the latest hits plus some obscure numbers you need to know. From Oscar Acosta's radical Chicano lawyer hanging out with the Brown Berets to Joseph Hansen's gay detectives searching for clues during the AIDs plague:
Adamic, Louis. Laughing in the Jungle. Debunker novel about LA in 1920s-the first fine novel showing poor immigrant struggling to achieve his dreams.
Boyle, T.C. Tortilla Curtain. Novel of the two couples in Topanga Canyon: the wealthy Anglo and struggling Mexican-American
Cain, James. Mildred Pierce. Brilliant story capturing life of single working woman in Glendale during the 1930s.
Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep. – the first, the great, detective novel.
Connelly, Michael. Angel’s Flight. Fine detective work dealing with mid-1990s conflicts over L.A.P.D. and race.
Didion, Joan. Play It As It Lays. The great car story of a alienated actress driving.
Fante, John. Ask the Dust. Wrenching tale about poor young man living in Bunker Hill and struggling to have his dream of being a writer..
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Last Tycoon. Fitzgerald’s last unfinished novel describing the last brilliant Hollywood movie producer.
Fuchs, Daniel. The Golden West- lovely short stories and a novella about Hollywood by Jewish-American working class writer who worked a sreenwriter in 1930s-1950s.
Himes, Chester. If He Hollers, Let Him Go African-American fights racism in South Central- best novel written about Los Angeles during World War II.
Hansen, Joseph. Early Graves. Gay detective investigates deaths of gays with AIDs.
The second half of oldies but goodies, the latest hits plus some obscure numbers you need to know, from 1920s exposes of corporate corruption by Upton Sinclair to 2000 exploration of East L.A. by Luis Rodriguez and many points in between:
Huneven, Michelle. Jamesland. Funny novel explores L.A's obsessions with eating good food and exploring new religions.
Huxley, Aldous. After Many Summer Dies a Swan- Brilliant satire of Hollywood and its environs in the 1930s.
Jackson, Helen Hunt. Ramona. 1st novel about Southern California published in late 19th century about half-Mexican/half-Native young woman Ramona and her sweetheart having hard times in Anglo era.
Kadohata, Cynthia. In the Heart of the Valley of Love- surviving the horrors of postacolyptic days of 2052 Los Angeles.
McCoy, Horace. They Shoot Horses Don’t They. Classic noir about Depression L.A. marathon dancers.
Morales, Alejandro. Brick People. Magic realist novel about epic struggle between Mexican-American brickyard workers and the Simons family who owns the brick yeard.
Mosley, Walter. Walking the Dog- brilliant novel about African-American ex-con rebuilding his life in Southcentral.
Oates, Joyce Carol. Blonde. Sizzling fictionalized novel about actress Marilyn Monroe.
Ponce, Mary Helen. The Wedding. Novel about working class Chicana’s large wedding.
Rechy, John. The Miraculous Day of Amalia Gomez. One of the best L.A. novels of the 1980s about Mexican-American woman surviving hard times.
Revoyr, Nina. Southland. Searing novel about two generations of blacks and Japanese in Crenshaw district.
Rense, Rip. The Last Byline.Captures the decline of the old time newspapers in California and the rise of corporate journalism
Rodriguez, Luis. The Republic of East Los Angeles. Fine stories about East Los Angeles.
Schulberg, Bud. What Makes Sammy Run. Classic noir expose of film industry and a nasty movie executive.
See, Carolyn. Making History. Living with random violence on the Westside.
Sinclair, Upton. Oil. The first strong anti-boomer novel exposing corruption in the oil industry in the 1920s.
Tobar, Hector. Tatooed Soldier. Great work dealing with Guatemalan immigrant on the city’s downtown mean streets during the 1992 riots
Waugh, Evelyn. The Loved One. Brilliant satire on 1930s L.A. from a master.
West, Nathanel. Day of the Locust. Classic noir on down-and-out Hollywood wannabees.
Woods, Paula. Inner City Blues. Mystery with African-American LAPD detective heroine investigating murder during 1992 riots.
Yamamoto, Hisaye. Seventeen Syllables. Dazzling stories about Japanese-Americans in L.A. from through 1930s farms through the post war period.
1 comment:
Great list. Found some new titles here I'm going to add to my library reading list. A few of my other favorites are Alison Lurie's 'The Nowhere City', Bud Schulberg's 'The Disenchanted', and Harold Robbins 'The Carpetbaggers' and 'The Dream Merchants.'
Post a Comment