Esteemed Author To Read From 'Book Of Thorns' At MV Library

News from the Mountain View Library:

On Monday, July 13 at 7 pm, Elias Castillo will visit the Mountain View Public Library to read and sign his book A Cross of Thorns.

This book shatters the image of California’s Missions as idyllic places where Franciscan friars and Indians lived in an environment of mutual respect. In reality, the Missions were death camps where more than 60,000 Indian workers died, many as a result of whippings, disease, and malnutrition.

Pope Francis will canonize Junipero Serra on September 23rd during his visit to Washington, D.C. A Cross of Thorns contains historic details that argue against sainthood. It is the result of more than six years of research and study of original documents including eyewitness accounts by early travelers, records kept by the friars, and historic letters by church and government authorities in Alta California and Mexico.

Elias Castillo is a three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee and winner of 13 journalism awards, working for the San Jose Mercury News and Associated Press. Castillo, who holds two degrees from San Jose State University, was born in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, where his stepgrandfather, Jose Severo Castillo, was publisher of an influential reformist newspaper.

Registration is optional: https://goo.gl/UpCDIo