Mike Marinacci

When I moved to California, the first local interest book I read was Marinacci's Mysterious California, his gazetteer to strange places in California. I also enjoyed the book he co-wrote, Weird California. Those books contain short (usually less than 2 pages) bits on various oddities. This new book, is at a different level. This 188-page book contains 18 short, illustrated essays about various odd Christian religious groups in the Golden State. They range in tone and time from William Money (who wrote the first English language book published in Los Angeles) and the Azusa Street Revival to Mel Gibson's ultra-traditionalist Church of the Holy Family and Leonard Knight's Salvation Mountain. Each essay is well-written, with appropriate illustrations drawn from archives. Marinacci is sympathetic to his subjects -- he doesn't waste time in mocking what are admittedly some odd groups. Instead, he treats them honestly and compassionately, while still focusing on the off-beat aspects that will interest the average reader. The one thing I would have liked to see is a bibliography or further reading section, but Marinacci does cite sources in the body of the text. All-in-all, this is a fun and informative read.

Marinacci can also he heard discussing the book on Radio Misterioso.… (more)

Mysterious California feels kinda dated, and I'm pretty sure some of the information isn't accurate, but it is an interesting read. It collects accounts of interesting and places and surrounding events of California's past. I was particularly entertained by the chapters about Joaquin Murietta and the Salton Sink. Other chapters mentions things like the ghost town of a real estate scam and what may have be the home of Napoleon's exiled widow.

Overall it's a good read and not too sensational, I feel pretty confident that what inaccuracies exist are a result of its age and not an attempt to create mystery or sensation.… (more)