“The Barbarian Nurseries” by Héctor Tobar (2011) [UC Irvine professor of Chicano/Latino Studies and Literary Journalism] “It’s set in a fictional Orange County neighborhood that feels so real and is a great examination of the communities, and yet also the isolation, that define our lives in the Golden State. And it really dissects what it means to be Mexican American. I recommend this book to so many people, and it’s the kind of book that could have been written only by someone who really understands Southern California.” — Casey Lewis, Los Angeles

For the full story, please visit https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/10/us/california-reading-list.html.