Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta: Celebrated California Bandit (Volume 4)

by Yellow Bird, John Rollin Ridge

In 1854, a Cherokee Indian called Yellow Bird (better known as John Rollin Ridge) launched in this book the myth of Joaquin Murieta, based on the California criminal career of a 19th century Mexican bandit. Today this folk hero has been written into state histories, sensationalized in books, poems, and articles throughout America, Spain, France, Chile, and Mexico, and made into a motion picture.

The Ridge account is here reproduced from the only known copy of the first edition, owned by Thomas W. Streeter, of Morristown, New Jersey. According to it, the passionate, wronged Murieta organized an outlaw company numbering over 2,000 men, who for two years terrorized gold-rush Californians by kidnapping, bank robberies, cattle thefts, and murders. So bloodthirsty as to be considered five men, Joaquin was aided by several hardy subordinates, including the sadistic cutthroat, "Three-Fingered Jack." Finally, the state legislature authorized organization of the Mounted Rangers to capture the outlaws. The drama is fittingly climaxed by the ensuing chase, "good, gory" battle, and the shocking fate of the badmen.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Adventure, School, Westerns, Indigenous

159 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1854

About the author

Skah-tle-loh-skee (John Ridge)
born circa 1802

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ridge

Reviews

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1854, it was the first novel published by a Native American author (probably) and it was a novel that set the tone for every Western to come, from Rex Beach to Charles Portis to Tom Lin. I love it for its glorious excesses. Everyone should read it immediately.

[Fabian · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Quentin Tarantino, serious student of film, can create wickedly-awesome, violent cinema (Kill Bill Vols. I & II, Inglourious Basterds), then a writer who actually lived through it, through scenes of cold-blooded murder, can probably do much better. Joaquin Murieta, the Californian Hero, is, finally, an embodiment of the all-American rebel. The poster announces “FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS REWARD FOR JOAQUIN, DEAD OR ALIVE” & the bandit, in full public view, adds in pencil “I will give $10,000. Joaquin.” and this is what makes an antihero an antihero (68). James Dean had no cause, yet here in the wild frontier the opportunity is ripe for adventures and infamy. Joaquin takes it all: he takes full advantage of the situation, of the ridiculous enterprise of becoming filthy rich with gold dust from one day to the next. He steals from the rich, gives to the poor, & may or may not have lived.

I cannot help but compare this extreme figure with that of murderous man Anton Chigurh, of No Country for Old Men. Cormac McCarthy is incredibly wise in retaining that ghostly figure of a man who represents soullessness and pure evil in his thrilling modern western tale. Joaquin definitely has a conscience; the character of Three-Fingered Jack is actually more of a psychological deviant than he. When Joaquin is ambushed by the Tejons (instead of the Americans!) and is stripped naked and thoroughly robbed, he is “grim for a while, but finally burst out into a loud laugh at his ridiculous position, and ever afterward endured his captivity with a quiet smile (38).” Resigning to one’s fate is often seen in these tales of the far west. Just as religious symbolism abounds in westerns, so does the motif of the passion of Jesus Christ. The hero resigns, takes it easy, plays it cool. Who wouldn't agree to accompany Joaquin on any of his escapades and misadventures? Yellowbird definitely knows how to tell a thrilling story: quick-paced, having scant poetic anecdotes and musings--an incredibly straight-forward account. Giving soliloquies to the rebels to the tune of “I love the smell of blood of a Chinaman. Besides, it’s such easy work to kill them. It’s a luxury to cut their throats” & you have yourself an absolutely merciless winner! Ultraviolent and messy, it is a more serious, more apocalyptic view of manifest destiny.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

original read: 1999

The novel describes the life of a legendary bandit named Joaquín Murieta who, once a dignified citizen of Mexico, becomes corrupt after traveling to California during the Gold Rush and suffering at the hands of the Americans he formerly admired.

Themes of transition, shifting identity and allegiance, revenge and rascism are all explored in this adventure novel. California, having recently been seized by the United States after the Mexican War, was an area where American and Mexican cultures were constantly intermixing, but the novel does also has the hero interacting with a Native American tribe and a settlement of Chinese people.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

Yellow Bird, as the author John Rollin Ridge was known as, was the first editor of the Sacramento Bee newspaper in the mid-1800s. His father was Cherokee who also supported the treaty that led to the Trail of Tears. These facts, along with the finding that Diana Gabaldon wrote the Foreword to this book, lead to my interest in reading it. Though a book of fiction, much of what occurs in it as Gabaldon states, “offers a window on the real social dynamics, race, culture, and prejudices, of the time.” The author’s use of language, the mayhem, and again in Gabaldon’s words, makes for a “remarkably readable and entertaining” novel. I couldn’t put it down.
--Anna Q. L.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might be the least memorable book I've read. I can barely remember any of it, and I just finished it a few hours ago. There's nothing in it that's particularly hard to understand, and it's enjoyable to read, but the characters are not very distinctive, and the events feel remote and disconnected. If you want a fun time that you won't remember, you can read this instead of downing a bottle of tequila.

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first biographical novel in a long time. This 1955 addendum was a little difficult to read at first since you had to place yourself in the historical period to grasp the significance of a character like Joaquin Murrieta. There aren't many westerns published following the US invasion and takeover of Northern Mexico. This book provides you a peek of the Mexicans who battled for survival when the country became the United States.

[Debby Tiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my California literature class, and I really enjoyed recognizing all the different places mentioned in the story.

Although the story has a lot of violence, including rape early on in the story, it’s more sensationalist than actually horrifying in the way it is depicted. There are also several racist and misogynist parts pf the book. I certainly wish the women had bigger roles in this book.

One thing that shocked me about this book was when I did the conversions for money in that time period and compared it to today. One of their dollars was equivalent to about $43 today!!

Oddly enough, I would recommend Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson if you want to read something with a similar vibe.

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for its historical significance, not for it’s quality. Very boring, not in a good way.

[Danielle Apple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a true reporter and editor, as was his job, Ridge collected evidence, talked to witnesses, and filled in a few blanks here and there to make this book about Joaquin Murieta, the celebrated California bandit. He later published further editions with more information to counteract the plagiarised pieces floating out there.

Joaquin tried to be an honorable person but at every turn, people (Americans, as they are truthfully called), drove him off his land, ransacked his belongings, ravaged his wife, stole his gold, etc. They eventually hung his brother.

Something in Joaquin snapped. He wanted only revenge. So he spent the rest of his short life gathering followers, horses, gold, etc. to stage an attack on the Americans in one large swoop. It seems the entirety of California had gotten a little anxious to say the least. He had with him a bloodthirsty man they called Three Fingered Jack who had little self-control, and several other more discerning band members.

Joaquin never took from the poor, earning him the name Robin Hood of the West.

I was drawn to this book by the author's past. I think the pain in Ridge’s life clearly came out on paper, and that he also took notice of the injustice around him. He didn’t sit idly by, but he spoke up in the form of a story, something that is hard for people to reject. Stories soften hearts and humanize people. Stories make people think. Like all people with something to say, Ridge had discoverable skeletons in his closet, and some that made me really not like him at times, but the message is still there. It took many two-page Victorian style paragraphs to say “don’t be an asshole to your fellow man.”

[Casey Car'Go · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what I wanted from this book!
A simple adventurous story about a noble bandit and the various fiends in his company. I found Joaquin really likeable and I enjoyed reading about him. The way he's described I adored- I could really picture this being a film.

I found myself highlighting a lot of passages, as I really like the way it's written and a lot of phrases stood out to me!

Of course there are a few problems. The racism and way women are written for one (always swooning...). And on a lesser level, I wish there was more focus on Joaquin himself. There was a lot of musing on other characters. But it wasn't too glaring.

I really liked this book! Very fun and reminiscent of folk heroes.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is historically important, but its prose style is trite, its episodic structure makes it tedious to read, and it's very racist.

[lyssa henrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where is the plot

[cait · Rating 4 out of 5]

a proto-Western that totally dismantles Western tropes and genre conventions…..chef’s kiss (please talk to me about westerns I love them so bad)

[Trista · Rating 3 out of 5]

An account of the life of Joaquin Murieta; a Mexican-Californian rebel around the mid 19th Century. This story (1854) is the first work to be published by a Native American (Cherokee) and the first to be published in California. Murieta's life as a rebel was the result of the inhumane treatment of his people in the early days of California during the gold rush. Tired and sickened by his plight to never have true rights to his property, to never have a say in politics that affected his life and the life of his loved ones, he opts to reek havoc upon California, stealing horses, looting and killing gold miners with the plans for a major rebellion. The story is told without chapters and is best read in one long reading or broken up by two readings. If the story is read in more than two sittings, the reader may find it difficult to get into it again, as it is mostly just a continuous account of "and then they raided and killed these guys over here...then they stole these horses...then someone was shot" etc.

There is a bit of poetry employed in the narrative at times and despite the constantly flowing accounts of Murieta and crew's adventures, it is possible to form a bit of attachment to the characters within. For example the rare times when, for whatever reason, Murieta spares someone's life or refuses to allow a woman to be mistreated and the reader sees for a moment an individual with a vision and a mission instead of a kind of fast-paced, superhero/villain/vigilante who almost always escapes. There is a place in the story where Murieta reads in the paper that the brother of his lover, Rosita, was hanged for the accusation of killing a General and he must tell her. The few paragraphs to follow contain the most prose and sentiment in the novel. When Rosita cries for the loss of her brother it reads, "the blood which stains the fair face of our mother Earth may not be washed out with an ocean of tears." Considering Rollin Ridge's ancestors signed the document that spurred on the Trail of Tears for his region- it is a telling little quote. In the passages following the telling of the hanging, the reader gets the sense that John Rollin Ridge is communicating the sorrows of his people as well, though he was more conservative- advocated for assimilation and himself owning slaves and from a prominent, slave owning family-he could still acknowledge the wrongs committed upon his people and other nations,
"We may go down to our graves with the scorn of an indignant world upon us, which
hurls us from its presence-but the eternal God allows no fragment of our souls, no atom
of our dust, to be lost from his universe. Poised on our own immortality, we may defy
the human race and all that exists beneath the throne of God!"

This cold and haunting past is tied in with present reality in excellent introduction to this edition by Professor Hsuan L. Hsu, "racial profiling, deportations, criminalization, police violence, and radicalized dispossession...racially disproportionate rates of incarceration, the systemic nature of antiblack police brutality and the intensified militarization of the US-Mexico border, fueled by racist stereotypes such as President Trump's "bad hombres." To all of which this reader says, well done Hsuan and Penguin for this introduction!
The downside to this edition however, is the forward that precedes the intro, by author Diana Gabaldon (of Mexican descent), who for some reason finds it necessary to immediately discuss the merits of *sigh*...Speedy Gonzales... but don't worry, no Mexican SHE knows thinks it's racist! Whew what a relief. Sorry, Penguin, besides the interesting early U.S. history of who and what was considered "Mexican," this forward was pretty cringe. It is especially cringe when she decides to condescend in recalling how literally, "funny" are the "sorts of people who spend their time thinking about" how a fictional character may uphold racist stereotypes. The comment is entirely self-serving as it was written in 2018 and Gabaldon has been given, right or wrong, a bit of flack for her depictions of race in her fictional novels. To which I say, Diana, shaming and literally laughing at people who are working to decolonize their minds is no way to prove the points you are trying to make in the defense of your own work-shame on you.

Overall, it wouldn't be shocking if this isn't the best novel you read in a year, but much like James Weldon Johnson's "An Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man," there is no argument that given the author's heritage and history- in the face of unceasing, all too prevalent adversity-it is work of some historical significance. I recommend!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Ridge's only novel, the highly romanticized tale of Joaquin Murrieta is a cumbersome read.

Ridge's writing style is often convoluted and as far as western novels go, there are many older and contemporary pieces that are easier reads.

The value of the novel is that it was one of the first ever written by a Native American. Joaquin Murrieta was certainly one of California's most celebrated figured from the 1800s. The novel does examine race in a very interesting way, seeing that the author was torn between his own identity as a minority and his upbringing as a member of the upper-class.

Ridge personally suffered from many racial prejudices that shine through in the pages of the book--however, the grand moral of the story is to accept all races and treat them fairly. The gem is seeing how hard it is to be a minority in America, and the resentment and empathy from a minority member who happens to succeed where many others are forced to fail due to the prejudiced system.

[Deranged · Rating 5 out of 5]

The introduction at the start of the text is an intriguing tale all on its own as it tells of the basis behind the story and the life of the author. It is incredible to read of how many times he story was plagiarized and rewritten. I strongly recommend than anyone who reads his book reads all of the 50 page introduction.
The story itself is an unusual one. The 'hero' of the book is a bandit and murderer and yet is the one whom the reader is driven to look up too. The detail is beautifully done concerning all aspects of the tale. The descriptions, the characters, and the very aspects of violence contained within the pages masterfully done to illicit a reaction from the reader and a respect for Joaquin Murieta.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

Thanks to a small blip on a history channel show I wanted to know more about Joaquin. I'm glad I picked up this book. Reflection of the cruel dirty start of CA and how a man can be pushed over the edge to reckless thievery ,murder and yet be well reguared by some.

[Ted Yu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Django Unchained with extreme violence and cruelty towards Chinese-Americans. Historically important and somewhat interesting, but not great at all.

[Sarah B · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this was the book I took with me this morning to read in the car on the way to & from the ranch. I wasn't too sure what it would be about but that it was most like a classic western written in the 1850s. And in some ways that is correct. But there were quite a few unexpected things about that book that disappointed me.

First of all, reading this was almost like reading a history text. Its like the book says X character did this, this and this...than that happened. Its how it is described. Its all written in this bizarre style, similar to reading a history text. There are no actual "characters" who you get to know. The characters very rarely have dialogue. And this makes the story very dry. You cannot really get into their heads. I mean there ARE characters but its so strange, like a historical account of an incident than a novel. Its almost like nonfiction? I hope this makes sense.

I will give an example of what I mean. This is a random sentence from page 19:

"In the fall of the same year, Joaquin moved up in the northern part of the state and settled himself down with his mistress at the Sonorian Camp, a cluster of tents and cloth houses situated three miles from the city of Marysville, in Yuba County."

Another problem I had with this is the plot. The plot didn't seem to be very cohesive. It seemed to be a bunch of many random encounters (robberies, etc) that just followed one after another. There was no main goal to work towards at the end. Near the beginning the story does mention a goal of stealing horses but they do that throughout the book. Nothing seems to come from it but more random robberies and horses stolen, throats cut. This made it very difficult to read. My mind kept wondering to other things and I even found myself watching a youtube video!

Simply put, the plot bored me. Nor did any of the characters grab my attention.

But the plot is about a young man who was a decent man. And he gets falsely accused of doing things he did not do and others beat him for this. Worse, they attack his lady love. This turns him very sour and he seeks revenge against those who did it. But he doesn't stop there but becomes the leader of a huge band of thieves, stealing gold, money and horses. There is prejudice in here too for often he is seen as worthless due to his race.

And even though there is tons of deaths and battles in here, I found it very dull due to the writing style.

I do like the cover image. And what an unusual stirrup he has there!

[angel 💃🏻 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I legitimately hated reading this book so much. There are maybe 30-40 lines of dialogue max in this ~120 page novel, and half of them are “I am Joaquín!”

My main qualm with this novel is its inability to actually have scenes. Most of this novel is written as summaries of the events of what could be a much cooler long-form novel. It feels like reading the monologuing of a Snyder fan describing their dream western flick. Because of this, I have zero connection to any of the characters and did not care remotely about any deaths. Speaking of characters, there are so many needless characters dropped into Joaquín’s gaggle of bandits that could easily have been condensed into other characters.

Another part of the narration I despise is the narrator’s dickriding of Joaquín as this fantastical, morally righteous figure when he is anything but. The amount of times the narrator goes “Wow, Joaquín sure is a swell guy,” because he shows bare minimum human decency (“Hey man, it’s good you didn’t rape that girl. That’d be bad,” is pretty much one of these instances) despite there being several other scenarios where Joaquín needlessly lets carnage happen or enacts it himself that completely counteract these ethical moments. And justification of why Joaquín steals so many horses is placed about ~20-30 pages before the end of the book and explained very briefly.

And while the book is upheld as this beacon of racial pride, it’s also deeply racist. Of course, for its time this isn’t shocking, but I only really bring this up because this completely goes against the book’s reputation. Despite the author being Native American, Natives are repeatedly described as savages. “Chinamen,” are repeatedly stereotyped and treated as pitiful hominids easily slain by Three-fingered Jack.

This book is just so shoddily put together that it boggles my mind how this has become a classic. Of course, I understand its importance in terms of this being the first novel published by a Native American author and first novel to star a Mexican protagonist. Both are great feats, especially with this novel shedding a quite sympathetic light on Murieta. It has also inspired so many important characters like Batman and Zorro. While its cultural importance is outstanding, this source material is still egregiously bad. I only gave an extra half star out of respect for its cultural importance.

The one thing I will give to Ridge is that this book has great descriptions of the Californian landscape. If the book was just those, I probably wouldn’t hate it so much.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novelization of the exploits of what was actually 5 different Joaquin's. CA's first novel, and the first American novel by an Indian (half Cherokee on his father's side - they were quiet wealthy, including owning slaves when in GA!).
He has his own prejudices, including the Chinese, who seem to get caught in the middle of all this.
Truly psychotic killer Three-Fingered Jack seems to have a blood lust for the Chinese - and a Bowie knife his favorite dispatcher of choice! The weird narrative of, "He was a gentleman who was forced into becoming a criminal" and "He was pretty violent, as was his gang - he was a criminal".
A Dime Novel kind of read, adventure on nearly ever page. But also at times reads like a dry military history - "He went there, and then they went there, and then this group went there...."
Had to look up some of the names of places, as they have changed. But mostly set in Gold Country - the area surrounding Sacramento.
Read the U of OK Press Western Frontier Library edition. The 40 pp Introduction is by SF Chronicle book editor (he also had a radio show), Joseph Henry Jackon. It is mostly a bibliographic history, and a history of other works where Murieta turns up (of course, he is the basis of Zorro!). Helpful, as at the time of this republication (1955) there was only one known copy of the 90 pp pamphlet that John Rollin Ridge/Yellow Bird published. Most of the reprints, and plagiarisms, are from the SF based "California Police Gazette" - which was also a plagiarized edition of the novel. Penguin came out with a new edition about 2018. The Introduction by Hsuan Hsu (UC-Davis) is available online ("Paris Review" first published it). But it asks more questions than it answers.
Probably more for people interested in the history of California and the West. And keep in mind this is fiction based on fact, and myth and folk stories, of the good hearted bandit.

[Tom Prezelski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this to replace an older water-damaged copy. It is already an unusual and historically important book, being the first novel about California, the first published novel written by a Native American, and the first novel in English featuring a Mexican protagonist. Beyond these, this printing is interesting for two additional reasons.

First, the foreword is by Diana Gabaldon, which seems an odd choice unless you know her family background. I once worked with a lot of people who worked with her father, who was an admired member of the Arizona State Senate, so her short essay here is a special treat. This is one of the rare times where she discusses her Mexican-ness and her father's career, and it is quite worth reading in and of itself.

Second, this edition dates to 2018, by which time Black Lives Matter and issues of police violence were already dominating the public discussion. The introduction takes the 1854 book and places it firmly in this modern context, saying that it "enjoins readers to reconsider US laws and their administration in connection with histories of racialization, disposession, and state-sanctioned violence."

When I first read this in the 1990s, I saw it mostly as an artifact of Mexican heritage, but it reads differently today. Joaquin was always presented as a sympathetic character whose criminal career was born out of righteous outrage, but today, it raises a very different set of questions. The additional material, which includes excerpts from other Joaquin literature, including Mark of Zorro, illuminates the California bandit's influence as a literary figure.

Most importantly, it all remains entertaining and readable.

[Bryce Van Vleet]

When I first rated this (4 stars) it was before we discussed it more in class. The text by itself is such a wonderful book. Yes, it's highly problematic. But my group mates and I all thought Rollin Ridge was using his own prejudice ironically, as a way to force his readers into understanding. Hearing more context of Rollin Ridge's life (including, among many horrific things, his support of slavery), the overall tone of this entertaining Western darkens and taints beyond repair.

But here's what I still love about it: ... Joaquin Murieta ... demonstrates the grip of the third type of racism - ideological. It also demonstrates the difficulty in tangibly and authentically fighting against prejudice. Yes, prejudice is bad. It's easy (for some people) to acknowledge the evilness of prejudice. It's quite a different, damn-near impossible, thing to fully rid oneself of said prejudice. That, to me, is the power of this novel. I also understand this was far from Rollin Ridge's intent. Realization, acknowledgment, and understanding, are not enough. And yet, oftentimes, those spaces are the only ones available to us to exist in authentically. To exist in without being hypocrites. It's perhaps a cynical thought to understand, but I choose to view it more as a humble one - a reminder to grow without ceasing.

Perhaps some day, I'll find out how to accurately star-rate ... Joaquin Murieta... , but, for now, no rating feels the least inaccurate.

[Donald · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because it was mentioned in a book I just finished reading, "There There" by Tommy Orange. In that book, this one was mentioned as "The first novel by a Native person, and the first novel written in California...". I felt duty bound to pick this up!

This book takes place in the 1850's, in California. Joaquin gets whipped for stealing a horse he didn't steal, and the same mob that did that, killed his half brother. Well, he decides then and there to get revenge on that mob, and on all white Americans, or "Yankees", and forms a band of outlaws, or banditti, to do so! Most colorful of those fellows, besides Murieta, is Three Fingered Jack, but all the banditti are ruthless robbers and killers.

This book is ok, in that it has historical relevance and has some decent, if bloody, action. What I didn't like is that it is all one big long piece, no chapter breaks or anything. It sort of reads like a person talking too fast! Even if they just divided the story up at date/season changes, it would have read better, for me. But if you like westerns, and robbers, you'll probably like this!

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is such an important piece of history, and I often think I would assign this if I taught an American lit class. It is the FIRST in a genre that became Western, the first story of California, and written through the eyes of a Native who is sympathetic to the position of Murieta (and his wife) just being completely dehumanized by the White settlers. It is also one of the few texts TO THIS DAY that recognizes Native presence in California who are neither Mexican, Spanish, or settler-colonial. An important piece of literature that doesn't get enough time and space in any canon, a quick read, and a story to tell around the campfire no matter your position on resource extraction and the colonial project in Cali.

[Bentivi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un très bon livre !! Ça m’a fait plaisir de changer un peu de registre de lecture. Lire un western. J’avais vraiment l’impression de lire le scénario d’un film avec Clint Eastwood hahahahaha ! À ce fait, c’est ce livre (le 1er écrit par un Amérindien) qui a inspiré de nombreux westerns, et notamment le célèbre personnage de Zorro. Un récit vraiment captivant qui retrace la vie d’un jeune mexicain lassé du racisme et qui décide de prendre sa vengeance par les armes. Des chevaux, des Colts, des méchants shérifs, tout pour un bon western. Le tout dans le respect des opprimés.
Un très bon récit et une très chouette histoire (vraie).

Hâte de regarder la série inspirée : « Joaquin Murieta : mort ou vif » !!!

[Dori Sabourin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ridge infers that there is nothing so dangerous in its consequences as injustice to individuals … a wrong done to one man is a wrong to society and to the world. This definitely was the result of the atrocities that Joaquin Murieta suffered at the hands of the Americans who at one time he revered. He became the notorious leader of a band of outlaws who sought revenge against Americans through pillage of monies, horse theft, assassination, and violence committed or threatened by the gang.

[Dusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories of the life & death of Joaquin Murrieta abound, as befits his status in Californian & Southwestern folklore. In this canonical account, published just a year after the real Murrieta is believed to have been killed, Yellow Bird/John Rollin Ridge depicts the bandit as a kind of criminal genius who outwitted & out-organized white/Anglo Americans at almost every turn. An indigenous/Cherokee writer, Yellow Bird seems to be alternately appalled by & admiring of Murrieta’s actions.

[Spiros · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating contemporary account of California as it was settling, somewhat awkwardly, into statehood. If nothing else, Ridge gives you a good feel for how beautiful the place was, even amongst all the slaughter. I hadn't realized that Amador County wasn't an entity until this book was being written.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta takes place in California after the Mexican-American war and discusses the displacement of indigenous and Mexicans post the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo through the story of Joaquin Murieta, a Mexican, cowboy "Robin Hood". I really enjoyed this book, and it's ability to take you back in time and into the story.