Los Angeles Reading List
I think that the best way to really know your city is to read authors who have used it as a setting. I have learned a lot about Los Angeles through books. In 2014, my New Year’s resolution was to read books about this city. This post lists my Los Angeles reading list from that year. The books range from memoirs to science fiction, books about city planning, and underserved communities.
The idea of a reading Los Angeles book club was not my own. It came to me during a free talk I attended at the Getty where former L.A. Times architecture critic, Christopher Hawthorne, spoke of L.A. Urbanism and Architecture, often citing books from the Reading L.A. Book Club he spearheaded. I chose some books from his list, and I asked fellow readers in my life for their suggestions for books with Los Angeles as subject.
Table of Contents
Los Angeles Reading List 2014
- White Album by Joan Didion
- Ask the Dust by John Fante
- Ape and Essence by Aldous Huxley–did not finish
- The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
- We Got the Neutron Bomb by Brendan Mullen
- G-Dog and the Homeboys by Celeste Fremon
- Los Angeles: Architecture of the Four Ecologies by Reyner Banham
- If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes
- Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler
- Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
How I fared
Reading Los Angeles proved to be a choose-your-own-adventure. What I ended up reading was: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9. I added Farewell My Lovely after a great presentation of poetry noir by the Los Angeles Visionaries Association and started City of Nets by Otto Friedrich. Unfortunately, I did not make it to books 8 and 10.
I learned a lot about this city in my year of reading books about Los Angeles. I learned that it rained more often in Los Angeles in the 1930s and 40s, that where you work and selfless love can make a difference, and no one really knows what the Museum of Jurassic Technology is. Most importantly, I learned about my city in its different phases in time, from a newly formed Los Angeles in Ask the Dust to the post-apocalyptic future of Ape and Essence.
This year of reading Los Angeles inspired me to read more about L.A. as subject, and you can find my recommendations for further reading in posts like this one.
Books I loved
Out of the books I did read, these are the ones I recommend over and over again.
The White Album
Not to be confused with The Beatles album by the same name, this book of essays focuses on Didion’s time in California as a journalist. My previous exposure to her had been the visceral and vulnerable Play it As it Lays, so I wasn’t sure if I would be ready for the White Album. This book is as much about herself as it is about her subjects ranging from the Doors and the Getty Villa–my favorite essay– to a member of the Manson Family. It is beautifully written; Didion has a way of bringing you close and holding you there until she is done with you.
My favorite line: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live”
G-Dog and the Home Boys
How do I articulate my feelings about this book? I felt close to the subject matter–in a previous life as a program assistant in Minneapolis. I have to say that I would put it on my essential reading list even though it is a hard read, a hopeful read, it raises issues of who gets dignity and the power of second chances. It gives humanity to people who never received it from society, a city, or the news. Just read it and then go eat at The Homegirl Cafe.
Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder
Have you experienced the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City? After my first visit, I was left with more questions than answers. What is it? How can something be prehistoric and modern at the same time? Where are the dinosaurs? Where is the technology? Is this all some elaborate art piece, or is this real? My favorite book of my reading L.A. year was Lawrence Weschler’s book Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology he attempts to answer all of the questions above.
Other recommended books
If you love or want to learn more about the L.A. Music scene, I really recommend reading Laurel Canyon by Michael Walker, followed by We’ve Got the Neutron Bomb for a great overview. Neutron picks up where Canyon leaves off.
I hope you enjoy these recommendations for books about Los Angeles. If you think I seriously overlooked any books, please let me know in the comments.
[Disclaimer: I am an affiliate with Book Shop. Some of the links in this post include an affiliate link which, if you click and buy, I may get a little money from your purchase. Thank you]
Want to know what Los Angeles book I am currently reading? Subscribe to my newsletter.
Leaving a comment? Check out my Privacy Policy. You are able to leave a comment as anonymous if you prefer.