Old California Strikes Back
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"Old California Strikes Back is that rare thing: a truly original work. An inventive blend of history, hilarity, and outlandish fabrication, Scott Duncan interrogates our collective dreams about California and wakes us up to its complex realities."
Cristina Garcia
A unique voice, telling a unique version of California—a mix of fantasy, history with a post-modern look at Zorro, Helen Hunt Jackson’s Ramona, and Joaquín Murrieta. Laced with sharp insights, bold critiques and acerbic humor, this book is crazy fun. Should be required reading for every Californio.
-Alejandro Murguía, San Francisco Poet Laureate Emeritus
Old California Strikes Back is a magical memoir and meta-novel that chronicles the journey of its mixed-race author—SRD—as he dismantles the myths surrounding Californios and the Chicano condition. Accompanied by the talking head of the folk hero Joaquin Murrieta, he records his journey on a guidebook by a self-styled Zorro as they race to grab the “Jewels of Ramona” the last unstolen relic of mythic Old California. Through this internal tour of history, personal and collective, SRD reconnects with his Californio Mexican and Native ancestors, who endured two waves of colonization and creates a dream where he can truly belong.
Cristina Garcia
A unique voice, telling a unique version of California—a mix of fantasy, history with a post-modern look at Zorro, Helen Hunt Jackson’s Ramona, and Joaquín Murrieta. Laced with sharp insights, bold critiques and acerbic humor, this book is crazy fun. Should be required reading for every Californio.
-Alejandro Murguía, San Francisco Poet Laureate Emeritus
Old California Strikes Back is a magical memoir and meta-novel that chronicles the journey of its mixed-race author—SRD—as he dismantles the myths surrounding Californios and the Chicano condition. Accompanied by the talking head of the folk hero Joaquin Murrieta, he records his journey on a guidebook by a self-styled Zorro as they race to grab the “Jewels of Ramona” the last unstolen relic of mythic Old California. Through this internal tour of history, personal and collective, SRD reconnects with his Californio Mexican and Native ancestors, who endured two waves of colonization and creates a dream where he can truly belong.