Los Angeles is synonymous with the ultimate American luxury lifestyle. With gorgeous beaches, stunning sites, and the Hollywood sign, Los Angeles is quick to mind when people all across America dream of great success and fame. On this stop for Bookstr’s American Tour, the many famous authors of Los Angeles will paint a literary view of the Californian city!
Héctor Tobar, Barbarian Nurseries
Héctor Tobar works as a professor in English and Latino Studies at the University of California. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he released his first novel — The Tattooed Soldier — in 1998. Continuing his love for writing, Tobar has gone on to publish five more novels, including Barbarian Nurseries.
Published in 2012, Barbarian Nurseries tells the story of class and ethnicity in the face of a modern world in California. Following the lives of Scott, Maureen, and their maid, Araceli, chaos spirals the family out of control. When an event causes Scott and Maureen to leave their children in Araceli’s care, the maid finds herself a rush to Los Angeles in a search of Scott’s father. However, when things don’t go as planned, consequences catch up to the acting-family and expose a city’s true realities.
George Takei, They Called Us Enemy
Many may know George Takei as Sulu from the original Star Trek series, but in his career after the sci-fi show, George has written a collection of novels and children’s books. The actor-turned-writer wrote an autobiographical graphic novel on his life growing up in Los Angeles as an Asian-American during the height of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
They Called Us Enemy is a harrowing story told through the eyes of young Takei as his life is flipped upside down by an act of violent racism in America. Takei and his family, by order of the American government, are viciously ushered out of their home into internment camps. This pivotal point in American history is often overlooked, but Takei brings it to life through the eyes of a child witnessing his country turn against him.
Charles Yu, Interior Chinatown
Charles Yu was born in Los Angeles and studied at Los Angeles University, Berkeley. After studying biology (and minoring in English), Yu went on to become an acclaimed writer in both fiction and nonfiction. His work has been published in The New York Times and The New Yorker, and he has even written for shows on FX and AMC.
His novel Interior Chinatown, which recently was developed into a film, is a Los Angeles story through and through. Willis Wu is a nobody who finds himself as a bit actor on a popular tv set. He dreams of something bigger, wanting to be something more; however, when his dreams are unexpectedly met, Willis is given more than he can handle. His new life brings him through the history of Chinatown and the secrets of his own family.
Daniel Olivas, The King of Lighting Fixtures
An attorney and writer, Daniel Olivas balances the work of his law practice and his love for writing. With 12 books under his belt, Olivas shares stories that are deeply rooted in his view of the world and his experience in America. His novel, The King of Lighting Fixtures, brings an appreciative yet skeptical view of his hometown to life through the characters that fill Los Angeles.
The King of Lighting Fixtures follows the story of a series of characters all living in the city of angels. From all backgrounds and all walks of life, these individuals expose the many different qualities of Los Angeles — the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Bret Easton Ellis, The Shards
Many readers, and the film industry itself, may be familiar with Ellis through his novel about Wall Street egomaniacs: American Psycho. However, Bret Easton Ellis’s novel, The Shards, pays homage to the author’s hometown of Los Angeles.
The Shards tells the story of a teenager, Bret, who must navigate through a strange world of friends and foes. With the introduction of a new member to his friend group, Bret falls into an obsession with the man while balancing a deep fascination with a local serial killer. Ellis’s novel dances between fiction and nonfiction and blasts a wild story over the backdrop of Los Angeles.
James Ellroy, L.A. Confidential
Author James Ellroy is an acclaimed writer whose many novels have been adapted several times into films. The writer’s dynamic and punching writing style has brought to life the many lives and thrilling stories of his imagination. The most popular, and perhaps the most suitable for Bookstr’s tour in Los Angeles, is Ellroy’s novel L.A. Confidential.
L.A. Confidential is a crime noir novel that takes place, as the title suggests, in the heart of Los Angeles. When a mass murder shatters the lives of L.A. citizens, three lawmen are called upon to restore safety in the city of angels. The novel is as explosive as it is daring and brings a new era and age of LA to readers.
Eve Babitz, Eve’s Hollywood
Eve Babitz grew up in the heart of Hollywood with all the glitz and glam. Eve’s love for the city was rooted in her by her parents, also creatives, and continued to grow as she did. Her writing reflects this great care in Los Angeles, but none quite like Eve’s Hollywood.
Quite literally telling her view on the city of Los Angeles, Eve Babitz dives into the fascination and spectacles of Tinseltown through anecdotes and biographies of artists. In this way, she brings Los Angeles across several years and creates a portrait of the city that is rooted in both love and reality.
Tinseltown is a dreamscape for many Americans, a fascinating heart of fame, sun, and dreams that beats in the state of California. Jump into these novels and find the many ways that Los Angeles natives view their home city.
Are you a reader who loves the Hollywood scene? Why not check out the film adaptations that are coming out in 2025! Read Bookstr’s 9 Anticipated Adaptations To Make You Laugh, Scream, and Cry.
Don’t miss out on Bookstr’s collection of Comforting Cozy Mysteries to Curl up With.
