Finding More Than Jewels

Tiny Review by Elvira Carrizal-Dukes

Old California Strikes Back, by Scott Russell Duncan, is a genre-blending work that combines memoir with elements of historical fiction, surrealism, and Xicanx-futurism. As a Native Xicano, Duncan chronicles his voyage to reclaim his existence, heritage, and property—carrying with him the head of the legendary Joaquin Murrieta in a jar. At its core, the book is a meditation on identity, colonization, and the fight to preserve a lost history.

Duncan’s real-life experience of being mixed-race, bearing a "White" surname yet having brown skin, often placed him at the intersection of two worlds. While this duality sometimes worked in his favor, it often set him apart from both sides. The inherited trauma from his ancestral past is deeply tied to Southern California, where invading forces transformed the region and people in ways both profound and painful. Duncan’s odyssey unfolds across this region, touching on actual sites and moments of resistance that span from small towns like Ramona to the larger tapestry of Los Angeles, where the final battles for Mexican California were waged and lost, forever altering the region’s destiny. Against this backdrop, Duncan’s story takes shape, challenging the myths that obscure the real account of Southern California and examining an inheritance buried beneath layers of imperialist perspectives.

At the heart of the narrative is the author's difficult relationship with his mother, a woman whose own scorned pain led her to take out her bitterness on her son. These personal, often heartbreaking moments serve as a counterpoint to the more fantastical elements of the book. What starts as a raw exploration of a household struggle evolves into an adventure. Duncan is tasked by his grandmother to locate the hidden family jewels of Ramona, setting him on a quest that intertwines private disclosure with a broader reclamation of truths.

Through his pilgrimage, Duncan uncovers the forgotten testimony of Ramona—a chronology of settler occupation, oppression, and defiance. He illuminates the way colonial victories are often memorialized in museums as triumphs for the colonizer, while the stories of the original Californios are overlooked or erased. In doing so, he challenges readers to reflect on the true record of this country and the Natives who inhabited it long before European settlers arrived.

The book takes readers full circle—from Duncan's acceptance of his complex identity to his deep dive into the story of his town and its residents. Through this, he discovers the strength to resist, to demand “land back,” and to recover his past, present, and future. What once brought him to tears now fortifies his resolve to fight for what has been lost. Duncan’s resilience, shaped by commentary and individual hardship, becomes a call to action for those who wish to understand the impact of violence on the land and its original owners.

Old California Strikes Back is a highly creative work that will have readers immersed from beginning to end. This book features short chapters and an epic revolutionary tale. 

Elvira Carrizal-Dukes is an award-winning author from New Mexico with a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition and MFA in Film.

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