When twenty something Nicole stumbles on DNA reports that document an ancestry far different than her father’s narrative of a white, northern European background, she enlists the help of her great grandmother to investigate their roots. As she and Great Gram ignore her father’s protests and search for documents in the attic of an historic San Francisco Victorian, the family’s actual history unfolds.
Their true Californio ancestors include a Spanish soldier in the Portola expedition to explore Alta California, a captured Ohlone native and a girl whose family walks with the De Anza settlers almost two thousand miles north from Sinaloa to the San Francisco Bay. Nicole slowly unravels the mysteries of her two hundred and fifty year family tree, from California’s native inhabitants and its earliest European colonizers through the generations to the Gold Rush.
How does her origin story unfold after the arrival of those Spanish explorers? Can she and Great Gram find evidence of their true family tree and use it to protect the old house from being sold off? Can Nicole find common ground and reconcile with her father in the process? In This Land of Plenty’s family saga introduces the diverse cast of characters and complex social issues that populate California’s rich history while drawing a direct line to today’s residents.
Publisher: mks publishing
Publish Date: July 10, 2020
Pages: 420
Available in paperback & ebook
When twenty something Nicole stumbles on DNA reports that document an ancestry far different than her father’s narrative of a white, northern European background, she enlists the help of her great grandmother to investigate their roots. As she and Great Gram ignore her father’s protests and search for documents in the attic of an historic San Francisco Victorian, the family’s actual history unfolds.
Their true Californio ancestors include a Spanish soldier in the Portola expedition to explore Alta California, a captured Ohlone native and a girl whose family walks with the De Anza settlers almost two thousand miles north from Sinaloa to the San Francisco Bay. Nicole slowly unravels the mysteries of her two hundred and fifty year family tree, from California’s native inhabitants and its earliest European colonizers through the generations to the Gold Rush.
How does her origin story unfold after the arrival of those Spanish explorers? Can she and Great Gram find evidence of their true family tree and use it to protect the old house from being sold off? Can Nicole find common ground and reconcile with her father in the process? In This Land of Plenty’s family saga introduces the diverse cast of characters and complex social issues that populate California’s rich history while drawing a direct line to today’s residents.
Publisher: mks publishing
Publish Date: July 10, 2020
Pages: 420
Available in paperback & ebook
California Author Project: Book of the Year, Adult Fiction, 2021
Readers’ Favorite Book Award: Gold Medal Western Fiction, 2021
Independent Publisher Book Award: Bronze Regional Fiction Ebook, 2021
American Fiction Awards: Finalist, Family Saga & Historical Fiction, 2021
Shelf Unbound Best Indies: Top 100 Notable Book, 2020
“…engaging story that inserts aspects of real-life West Coast history into these parallel narratives. …delivers a stirring plot.”
--Kirkus Reviews
"It was almost impossible to set this book down. ...truly a treat for the mind."
--Readers' Favorite Five Star Review
"In this ambitious work, Smathers imparts the wisdom of studying the past in order to move more fully and sincerely into the future....This intriguing mix of history with a contemporary story of discovery and acceptance will powerfully move readers looking for narratives of the American melting pot."
--Publishers Weekly BookLife Review
“Wonderful, sweeping saga! Illuminates the authentic women in early California.”
—Wendy Voorsanger, Award-winning author, Prospect of a Woman
"...offers a nuanced and appreciative illustration of a complicated past, threaded through with hope for unity and understanding. A rewarding and enriching read."
--Historical Novel Society’s Magazine Review
“…a fascinating history lesson as well as an inspiring story. Smathers goes back nearly nine generations to tell the saga of a family that began with the Ohlone tribe, merged with Spanish conquerors, Mexican settlers, and finally with an Irish immigrant. She captures the pain and struggle of each of these groups and the role they played in California history.”
--Kathy Nielsen, Professional Genealogist, California History Librarian
