Book Talk with Donna F. Mekis and Kathryn Mekis Miller, Blossoms into Gold: The Croatians in the Pajaro Valley

“In this detailed and warmly human history, Donna F. Mekis and Kathryn Mekis Miller chronicle and celebrate the story of an entrepreneurial immigrant group in a favored portion of the Golden State.”

—Kevin Starr, former State Librarian of California

Of all the immigrant groups who flocked to California in the last two hundred years, probably the least known are the Croatians of the Dalmatian Coast. Often identified as Austrians, Slavonians, or Dalmatians, they came from a glorious background of international traders, sailors, and political thinkers few people in America knew about, and brought with them knowledge that would change the way the United States did business. At the same time, they transported their customs and beliefs to their new home and established a way of life that was vibrant and rich in traditional folkways.

Join the authors of Blossoms into Gold for a discussion of this community's fabled past and economic innovations in the Pajaro Valley. Introduction to the talk by Sandy Lydon and George Ow Jr.

This event is presented in partnership with the UC Santa Cruz University Library.