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Hey Readers,
Hoping to get some wisdom of crowds here for a book recommendation. I'm going to be making a trip to far southern California soon. The Salton Sea, Niland, Seely, Brawley, Calexico, the Chocolate Mountains--pretty much just gonna be wandering through Imperial County. I'd love to read a book that explores this area: natural, historical, sociological perspectives all in one volume would be great.
I'm especially interested--and this is a little weird, I'll admit--in strip clubs and prostitutes of the region. I should say I've got a ravenous appetite for the subject. I could easily read a thousand, or fourteen hundred pages. As long as it's a thorough, in-depth look at Imperial County.
Does anyone know of a book like that? Before people start posting suggestions in the comments, here are some books I liked and some I didn't care for as much, so you can gauge what I might go for.
LIKED:
1) Son of the Morning Star by Evan S. Connell. Lucid, compelling historical storytelling.
2) Dog of the South by Charles Portis. Funny, charming, lovable--gold standard for the comic novel.
3) The Discovery of France by Graham Robb. Something fascinating on every page, opened up a whole new window into the past.
NOT SO MUCH:
1) Riding Toward Everywhere by William Vollman. A subject I want to know more about (hoboes), but somehow, the style here didn't gel for me.
2) The Ice-Shirt by William Vollman. Great, great book--Vollman's writing sparkles in this mystical tale of Vikings in North America. But it's just not what I'm looking for here.
3) Rising Up and Rising Down by William Vollman. I dunno, somehow I lost interest around page 2,700.
4) Europe Central by William Vollman. Not my cup of tea.
--Steve
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