Ramona

The Heart and Conscience of Early California

By: Helent Hunt Jackson

Narrated by: Boots Martin

Termed the Uncle Tom's Cabin of the southwestern Indians and the first protest novel of California, Ramona is the story of 3 cultures - Indian, Mexican, and Anglo - locked in combat. The upheaval and injustice are humanized through the romance of a beautiful half-Indian orphan who grow up as the ward of Señora Moreno in privileged surroundings, then falls in love with an Indian and joins him in a life of poverty and tragedy. The Ramona Pageant in Hemet, California, based on this romance, has played each year since 1923, reenacting the transition period between Mexican traditions and the new U.S. and state governments.©1995 by The Audio Partners Publishing Corp. (P)1995 by The Audio Partners Publishing Corp.

Critic reviews

"The impact of [Jackson's] work makes it clear that a single person...can change the lives of millions. The defiant spirit that produced Ramona is the answer to complacency, to defeat, to injustice." (Michael Dorris, from the introduction to the Signet Classics edition of Ramona)

Suitable for teenagers

Although not well written, Ramona holds a place in the long story of the abuse of Native Americans. Those in California were a particularly peacefully sort. What has become of the area is a travesty of a civilization.

Great book!

I could hardly take a break from listening. Strong characters, great character development and involvement with each other. Loved, loved, loved this book.

Wonderful Historical Fiction!

It was a story I did not want to put down. The story of the Missions, the Native Americans and the Mexicans of early California has never been written better than this. I have seen the play Ramona twice over the past 15 years at the Ramona Bowl in Southern California. It was not until I listened to this entire book that the story came to life for me. I will be seeing the play once again next weekend and look forward to seeing it through new eyes!!

NOT unabridged

I listened to this on a trip to San Diego. It's a wonderful, bittersweet story that portrays the plight of Native Americans once California was made part of the US and the Americans ripped apart the land rights set up under the Mexicans. I was familiar with the story, and this really brings the human element to the historical facts. The narrator does a wonderful job and is good at expressing the main characters' emotions. The one BIG issue was that this Audible version by Blackstone Audio (1995) is abridged, despite being advertised as unabridged. The story is still coherent and moves quickly. The story is appropriate for young readers in middle or high school.

The most important novel about the California of the nineteenth century

This story has enthralled me for ages!! I was first exposed to Ramona when the telenovela of the same name ran in my early teens. Realizing the heart-pounding drama was based on a book, I went on extensive search to find a hard copy of the novel, and when I finally got my hands on it I was not disappointed!

I now live in San Diego, California and wish that more folks here knew of the story. It was a wildly popular book in its time, causing a long-lasting tourist boom to the region. There were sites set up as tourist destinations where people could imagine Ramona, Alessandro, and Felipe had walked. Some of these can be visited even today. I love visiting the nearby rural town (now small city) Ramona, named after this book.

I beyond recommend this book—I whole-heartedly wish more people were exposed this important work of historical fiction.