Hello there Penguin, how nice to hear from you.
Mark Arax is the best chronicler of the central valley. As an investigative journalist Arax covered the region for the Los Angeles Times. He is an exceptionally fine writer, and I can’t recommend his books enough.
Arax’s latest book is the THE DREAMT LAND, Chasing Water and Dust Across California. The reviews alone offer a good survey of the central valley, and here are some links.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/books/review/the-dreamt-land-mark-arax.html
Also
California’s ‘phantom lake’ returns with a vengeance, unearthing an ugly history of water
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-28/phantom-tulare-lake-returns-with-a-vengeance
For political insight, I suggest one of my pieces, titled the Lords of Bakersfield.
However the topographical map will give you and better idea of just how big this valley is. https://medium.com/@meraffey/the-lords-of-bakersfield-20ae716296c2 I put resource links there.
William Saroyan, is a native son of Fresno (Pulitzer and Academy award).
Mean Justice, by Ed Humes is another good book.
And of course, Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath – (the California work camp where the Job family landed, was in Arvin, Kern County, California. Kern County did not like that image and banned the book.
Thank you for replying, it made me feel good to know you’d been here.
