Ask the Dust
by John Fante
Recommended by Patrick O'Shaughnessy and Neil Strauss
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Should I read this?
Recommended by 4 sources and appears in About Los Angeles, Most Recommended Books, and Fiction.
Ask the Dust is the story of Arturo Bandini, a young ItalianAmerican writer in 1930s Los Angeles who falls hard for the elusive, mocking, unstable Camilla Lopez, a Mexican waitress. Struggling to survive, he perseveres until, at last, his first novel is published. But the bright light of success is extinguished when Camilla has a nervous breakdown...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 4 sources and appears in About Los Angeles, Most Recommended Books, and Fiction.
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Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider City of Quartz by Mike Davis. Recommended by 3 sources.
“City of Quartz reads like a forensic excavation of Los Angeles: archival reportage, policy history and polemical analysis piled together to show who benefits from growth and who gets pushed aside. Its useful part is the dense catalog of examples — land deals, policing, urban renewal episodes — that tie local institutions to broader economic forces. Annoyances are the repeated rhetorical flourishes and a sometimes fierce, judgmental tone; readers seeking detached description or step-by-step policy prescriptions may find it unsatisfying.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
Ask the Dust
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