The Journey of the Flame: An Epic Spanish California Adventure

Fiction. Latino/Latina Studies. Foreword by Rebecca Solnit. On the eve of his 104th birthday, Don Juan Obrigon-tall and straight, with hair still flaming red-prepares to tell his life story to assembled relatives and guests. The story he will tell describes his travels as a boy of twelve in 1810, when he accompanied the Spanish viceroy of Baja California from the southern tip of Baja California to Monterey. THE JOURNEY OF THE FLAME is that rare treasure, an artfully imagined work of fiction that is based on meticulous research and brings life to the study of history. A slow ride through exotic territory, the book is rich in leisurely pacing and dense detail (entertaining a child by getting a desert rat to inflate the egg-sized food pouch under his ears!) that truly capture another time and reveal another world.