While growing up in California in the 50s and 60s, the name of Father Junipero Serra was well known to every school kid. As the title of this new biography states, he was considered California's founding father. There's a statue of Father Serra gracing the U.S capitol rotunda as a representaton o... ...more

This is a dry historical look at Blessed Fr. Junipero Serra, considered one of the founders of the state of California and representing that state as one of the two California statues in the hall of statues in the US Capitol building.

While Serra is being considered for canonization, if today's st... ...more

I received this book free through Goodreads' First Reads program.

Junipero Serra: California's Founding Father is a detailed account of the life of Junipero Serra, the Franciscan missionary responsible for a great deal of the founding of the series of missions which became the backbone of Spanish... ...more

** received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads **

16 pages of b&w illus. and 4 maps, Junípero Serra (1713-1784 in Carmel, California), a Franciscan priest and one of the founding fathers of California (in 1769, only a couple years before The Boston Tea Party) he arrived in Souther... ...more

I picked this book to read because I was extremely interested in learning more about our history of California. I grew up in the Bay Area and I remember the statue of Junipero Serra on Highway 280 on the way to San Francisco. This book is a pretty easy read which doesn't get too bogged down in ov... ...more

As a Californian, of course I knew about Junipero Serra. But after reading Steven Hackel's fine book, I learned that I really did not know much about this Franciscan friar. He was critical to the development of California and I enjoyed learning how his upbringing influenced his religious pursuits... ...more

Steven W. Hackel did a fantastic job in pulling together primary sources and making them come together in a well thought out narrative. Hackel's work made me realize the full story behind the San Diego uprising in 1775, that had never been clear before. Serra's pushing for soldiers more or less m... ...more

This was a great introduction to the pre-American history of California in the person of Junipero Serra. Frankly, I was really only interested initially in the California part of his life, but I enjoyed the Spanish and New Spain background. Great book, and just about the right length. ...more

Very complete and interesting biography of this interesting character. He was a super-energetic friar who helped create the best missions in California. I really liked the book and would recommend it. ...more

Very well-written biography. If you are interested in early California history, this is a must read. ...more