I got this wonderful book for Christmas from my dear mother. It is Volume 2 of the Mendocino Papers. It is written by Bruce Anderson and Mark Scaramella, the two best writers dealing with the goings-on of Mendocino County for sure. You may have read these news features previously as they ran in the Anderson Valley Advertiser.

Truthfully, the ones that I recognized were the ones I am happiest to own in book form. The series of articles regarding the tradition of arson fires in Ft. Bragg definitely needs to be optioned for an amazing screenplay. The characters are unforgettable. The Coen Brothers would have a field day with it. The story is a combination of ‘Blood Simple’ ruthlessness and ‘Raising Arizona’ dunderheadedness.

‘The Great Ft. Bragg Witch Hunt’ is also very enlightening…in a dark ages sort of a way. It is about some women that ran a daycare facility until they were accused of ritual satanic abuse and run the hell out of town.

If you are a Mendo homeslice, you may very well recognize some of the subjects and actors in the stories. I, for one, was glad that my dumb ass was not featured in any of these dark tales. (Disclosure: The AVA remains the only media outlet to tell the ugly story of my ongoing tribal/ political struggles – they rule.)