In this captivating travel memoir, author Aaron Gilbreath takes readers along on his journey through the vast interior of California, sandwiched between the mountains of the Sierra Nevada and the Pacific Coast Range. Inspired by the 1938 boat trip of historian Frank Latta, from Bakersfield to San Francisco, Gilbreath retraces the trip by car during the drought of 2014.
Weaving Latta’s fascinating narrative with his own, Gilbreath notes that the Valley has become home to some of California’s fastest-growing cities and produces a substantial portion of America’s food supply, as well as some of the nation’s worst air pollution. As Gilbreath contends, “Latta’s boat trip was probably the last of those adventures in this semiwild place, and it marked the beginning of the time when people, not nature, determined the fate of California’s water.”
While the Valley has its problems, it also possesses unique beauty. Gilbreath introduces readers to intriguing individuals that he met on his journey, including farmers, truckers, fellow travelers, librarians, artists, waitresses, a cowboy, and a prostitute. He also describes the region’s nearly lost indigenous cultures and ecosystems, bringing this complex and often overlooked landscape to life.
An essential read to fully grasp the California experience.
Review Publication: Literary West Review