“Aaron Gilbreath uses his keen eye and environmental consciousness, historical records, and the occasional imaginative flight to give us an invaluable portrait of an overlooked place.”—Thomas Swick, author of A Way to See the World
“The Heart of California is a quickly moving history with unexpected adventure. There’s a little Joan Didion, James D. Houston, Gerald Haslam, Kevin Starr, and Mark Arax in these pages. Aaron Gilbreath’s observations are an extension of these writers and, I could argue, their equal.”—Gary Soto, author of The Elements of San Joaquin
“This is what the San Joaquin Valley looks and sounds like and how it feels.”—Don Thompson, native Valley poet and author of Back Roads
“Without question, riding downriver through the San Joaquin Valley’s past and present with Aaron Gilbreath is one of the greatest and most unexpected journeys I’ve taken in a long, long time.”—Joe Donnelly, author of L.A. Man: Profiles from a Big City and a Small World
