I’m often asked by AirTalk listeners what books I recommend to get a better sense of Los Angeles’ history and complexity. That’s a harder question to answer than you might imagine. Many terrific books have been written, and there’s clearly much to write about.
To start, I recommend browsing the shelves of local independent bookstores. They often have a strong selection of L.A.-centric works. Plus, it’s more fitting to buy such a book on location in L.A. than ordering it online!
Among my favorite local bookstores are Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, Skylight Books in Los Feliz, Chevalier’s Books in Larchmont Village, and The Iliad (used books) in North Hollywood. There are several others that have fine selections that I’m looking forward to visiting.
Here are a few LA-themed books you might look for when browsing. For your convenience, we have also linked to BookShop.org, which supports local independent bookstores.
1. 'Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.,' by Luis J. Rodriguez
![Side-by-side images of the author, Luis J. Rodriguez, on the left, wearing a long-sleeved pullover, and his book cover on the right, entitled "Always Running," which shows a man's heavily tattooed back. The images are set against a festive gold background accented with images of stars, gift boxes and ribbons.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3acd43a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fa1%2Fae%2Fc1e64a4c4f4a9308b610ccb680fa%2Fgift-guide-2023-la-books-always-running.jpg)
Rodriguez’s account of his early years growing up in East L.A. and his journey from gang member to acclaimed writer. His book provides important background on multi-generational Chicano culture within a very powerful personal story.
2. 'On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred Year Odyssey of a Chinese-American Family,' by Lisa See
![Side-by-side photographs of author Lisa See on the left, with shoulder length brown hair and a gold buttoned down shirt, and the cover of her book on the right: "On Gold Mountain." The images are set against a festive gold background accented with images of stars, gift boxes and ribbons.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1d45e42/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fc4%2F25%2F6e6530c24202ba7de6cfbabc2e28%2Fla-books-for-gift-items.jpg)
See’s book describes her great grandfather’s immigration to the U.S. and rise to prominence in L.A’.s Chinatown. The family’s more than century-old antiques store still operates near Pasadena City College. I learned so much about this family’s immigrant experience, which is distinct from the thousands of Chinese immigrants who traveled here to construct California’s railroads.
3. 'Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir,' by D. J. Waldie
![A photograph of a book cover entitled, "holy land." Behind the red-and-tan title and author box, there is a photo of row after row of suburban housing. The book cover is positioned against a festive gold background featuring holiday stars, gift boxes and strands of ribbon.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5ef8f7e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F1d%2Ff1%2F38b51d5446488db639692bf8403f%2Fla-books-for-gift-items-1.jpg)
The former Public Information Officer for Lakewood details his 1950s upbringing in the city. It was developed as housing for the many employees of nearby aircraft factories, as were several other Southern California communities near massive plants. This was a history I thought I knew pretty well, but Waldie’s sense of place for postwar suburbia is palpable.
4. 'Devil in a Blue Dress,' by Walter Mosley
![Side-by-side images of the author, Walter Mosley, wearing a black blazer over a faded red shirt and a fedora, and his book on the right, entitled "Devil In A Blue Dress." The images are set against a festive gold background accented with images of stars, gift boxes and ribbons.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b975370/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fe9%2F88%2F46b7cd704fdd8c38f294cc5cd896%2Fgift-guide-2023-devil-in-a-blue-dress.jpg)
Mosley’s first book in his acclaimed hardboiled detective series devoted to day-laborer turned detective Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins. It establishes a wonderful sense of postwar L.A.’s Central Avenue business and entertainment district, surrounded by single-family, Black-owned, homes.
5. 'Material Dreams: Southern California through the 1920s,' by Kevin Starr
![A photograph of a stylized book cover, featuring a compliation of notable Los Angles landmarks including city hall, palm trees, and a vintage car, and a speeding train. The book is entitled "Material Dreams: Southern California Through the 1920s," by Kevin Starr. The image is set against a festive gold background accented with images of stars, gift boxes and ribbons.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5e18223/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fd6%2Fea%2F2627029349c0a9ef747e79f14506%2Fla-books-for-gift-items-copy-2.jpg)
California’s former State Historian looks at the boom in population and construction that reshaped Los Angeles in the teens and 20s. Much of the boom came from the migration of midwesterners looking for jobs. Starr dubs them “the folks.” My great grandfather was one of the “folks,” arriving from Michigan at the turn of the century.
6. The Bosch series, by Michael Connelly
![Side-by-side photographs: The image on the left is of a book cover, entitled "Resurrection Walk" by Michael Connelly. The image on the right is off the author, wearing a dark gray buttoned shirt. The images are set against a festive gold background accented with images of stars, gift boxes and ribbons.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/91a885e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fc0%2Fb2%2F7b1a7f354c90a17612b6076b3ea7%2Fla-books-for-gift-items-1.jpg)
The former L.A. TImes crime reporter is now famous for creating LAPD Hollywood Division Detective Harry Bosch. The character appears in over 20 books. You can start at the beginning with 1992’s The Black Echo. His latest is Resurrection Walk. Connelly’s books give a tremendous sense of place and also provide a balanced view of cop life. The character of Bosch is particularly interesting to me, as my grandfather Arnold Hubka was an LAPD Hollywood Homicide detective in the 1940s and 50s and worked on several prominent cases.
7. 'An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood,' by Neal Gabler
![A photograph of a book cover entitled, "An Empire of Their Own." Beneath the black-and-white art deco font, there is a photograph of a movie set that is busy with people doing their jobs. The book cover is positioned against a festive gold background featuring holiday stars, gift boxes and strands of ribbon.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d3e5292/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fcd%2Fe0%2F84f002cd4adeaf788aae31538652%2Fla-books-for-gift-items.jpg)
A fascinating look at how the founding Jewish immigrant film moguls of the major studios oversaw an extraordinary range of movies that helped define what it meant to be American. The stories of each studio head are loaded with complexities about their motivations and how Los Angeles gave them a place to build an industry and reinvent themselves.
8. 'Zev’s Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power,' by Zev Yaroslavsky
![Side-by-side images of author, former Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, on the left, and his political memoir entitled "Zev's Los Angeles," on the right. The images are set against a festive gold background accented with images of stars, gift boxes and ribbons.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/de1a44e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fc4%2F29%2F74912ba64244985f867001abf923%2Fla-books-zevs-la.jpg)
A political memoir that I found difficult to put down. Yaroslavsky’s four-decade career as an L.A. County Supervisor and L.A. City Councilmember allow him to provide the backstories on an array of critical events in our local history. An inside look at local government that’s anything but discouraging.
9. 'Rio L.A.: Tales from the Los Angeles River,' by Patt Morrison with photography by Mark Lamonica
![The cover of a book entitled "Rio L.A. Tales From The Los Angeles River." The book cover is set against a festive gold background accented with images of stars, gift boxes and ribbons.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8cb2e90/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F7e%2F75%2Fd9e64e1240e3be832cc2d399b5b2%2Fla-books-for-gift-items-1.jpg)
The L.A. Times columnist who writes so entertainingly about local history turns her attention to an often overlooked but essential part of the City’s settlement and founding. The river’s storm-channeled past and up for debate future are all here, along with terrific photos by Mark Lamonica.
10. 'City of Quartz: Excavating the Future of Los Angeles,' by Mike Davis
![A photograph of a book cover entitled, "City of Quartz: Excavating The Future In Los Angeles," by Mike Davis. The cover includes an overhead view of downtown Los Angeles, and the design includes shades of purple. The image is set against a festive gold background accented with images of stars, gift boxes and ribbons.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2832cec/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F4a%2F12%2Fbe9ec21e4eb2b143129ec5b2e01d%2Fla-books-for-gift-items.jpg)
With its many negatives about our region and lens focused consistently from the Left, Davis’ book is anything but the Chamber of Commerce version of L.A. There’s a lot to learn from Davis’ analysis, though I admit to being frustrated by much of his framing of events. It’s hard to overstate the influence of this book on present-day academic perceptions of 20th century LA.
11. 'California Crazy: American Pop Architecture,' by Jim Heimann
![The quirky cover of a coffee table book called "California Crazy": It features a drive up restaurant that was designed so that a giant teapot structure is built on top of it — unmissable to cars driving by. The teapot is advertising giant thick malts for all of 10 cents, and the building is decorated with signs of similarly low prices from days gone by. A vintage automobile is parked out front. The image is set against a festive gold background accented with images of stars, gift boxes and ribbons.](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/530cfa5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/880x600+0+0/resize/792x540!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fdf%2Fbf%2F0155d78049c98706cb91580020a8%2Fla-books-for-gift-items-copy.jpg)
This is the 'for fun' entry on the list: This frequent AirTalk guest’s photo-filled book looks at roadside establishments designed to catch the eye of drivers — from Samson’s Tire Works (now The Citadel shops) in Commerce to The Tamale in East L.A. These larger than lifesize structures are a blast. Many are gone, but some remain (like the two examples above!)
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