California Dreamin'
I know there are already several lists with a California theme, but I am hoping this acts as a syllabus of sorts for books that deal with the core myth, history, violence, dream, and contradiction of California. Suggestions are welcome!
created by skiesbeyondearth
last updated August, 2026
Comments
I love the concept of this list & its specifics! Might I also suggest When the Emperor was Divine? It follows a Japanese-American family during WW2 as they attempt to “lay low” and avoid being the targets of hate crimes, their eventual eviction and sentencing to 3 years in an internment camp in Utah, and their return home and the dissonance felt in the expectations for their re-assimilation.
Great recommendation! Thank you! Adding it now
This is so cool! Would Revolutionary Suicide by Huey Newton fit? The Black Panthers obviously had national significance, but I felt like he spent a lot of time talking about Oakland, his family’s history in the Great Migration, his experience in the UC schools, and organizing against the governor/state legislature.
Oouu yes thank you!! I’m adding it! CA protest culture and Bay Area radical movements!
could I suggest Stay True by Hua Hsu? it's a super powerful memoir set in the Bay Area that I enjoyed reading recently. it's hard to describe but I think it might fit for the list and I would recommend it anyways!
Yes!! Adding it!
