Episode 280 with Désirée Zamorano, Author of Dispossessed, and Crafter of Poignancy, a Thorough Chronicler of and Student of Los Angeles History and Moral Voice for Progress and Learning from History

Notes and Links to Désirée Zamorano’s Work

 

   Born and raised in Los Angeles, Désirée Zamorano is the previous author of novels like The Amado Women and Human Cargo. Zamorano heavily focuses on the issues of invisibility, injustice and inequity in her books while also teaching linguistic and cultural diversity at Cal State Long Beach.

 

 

Buy Dispossessed

 

Désirée's Website

 

Article about Dispossessed for Pasadena Weekly

At about 3:10, Desiree gives ordering information for The Dispossessed and her social media and contact information

 

At about 4:30, Desiree talks about an exciting 2026 publication 

 

At about 5:10, Desiree gives background on her early reading and language life, and how her identity has been shaped throughout the years, influenced by family and larger societal forces

 

At about 8:40, Pete and Desiree discuss connections between American racism in different times and the events that inspired her own book

 

At about 10:00, Desiree provides feedback on seeds for her book

 

At about 12:30, Desiree talks about formative and informative books and writers from her childhood and adolescence 

 

At about 13:35, Desiree shouts out Kate Atkinson and David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas and other contemporary favorites

 

At about 14:35, the two explore the book’s opening note, and Desiree shares stunning (or not stats) about Mexican and Mexican-American “repatriation” in the 1930s and 1940s 

 

At about 16:00, Desiree talks about Manzanar and Japanese incarceration and coalitions who have fought to have the ugly history of the incarceration shared

 

At about 17:25, The two discuss the book’s opening scene at the beach and the book’s inciting incidents

 

At about 18:40, Desiree gives background on her reasoning for making the book’s opening so action-packed and connections to a chilling quote

 

At about 19:50, Pete and Desiree chart Manuel’s first years after his parents are taken, and characters and situations that govern Manuel’s life

 

At about 23:15, Desiree responds to Pete’s questions about Manuel’s surrogate mother, Amparo and depictions of Christianity with connections to Desiree’s own family

 

At about 26:00, The two discuss reasons as to why Manuel decides to leave high school 

 

At about 28:10, Desiree gives background on sundown towns and talks about misconceptions of racism in our country’s history and all needing to “do the work” to understand 

 

At about 31:15, Pete recounts a stunning (or not so stunning) fact about racism in CA and Rodney King

 

At about 31:55, Desiree responds to Pete’s questions about depictions of Latino soldiers, particularly in WWII

 

At about 33:25, Pete and Desiree discuss Manuel’s early work experience, and Desiree expands upon union histories, especially in LA

 

At about 36:00, Decade of Betrayal, Anything but Mexican and Whitewashed Adobe are discussed as thorough and key research used by Desiree for the book

 

At about 37:30, Pete asks Desiree about important touches in the book, and she provides important histories of whiteness in American and how birth certificates were filled out

 

At about 41:00, The two discuss the impending razing of Chavez Ravine in the book, and hope and hopelessness for Manuel-Desiree references another great book with great research, From Out of the Shadows by Vicki Ruiz 

 

At about 44:30, Desiree responds to Pete’s question about crafting a emotional and good man in Manuel 

 

At about 47:00, Pete is highly complimentary of the ways that Desiree uses light touches and writes about fatherhood and motherhood so honestly

 

At about 50:00, Pete asks Desiree how she knew the book was finished 

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    Please tune in for Episode 281 with Alexander Chee, who is the bestselling author of the novels Edinburgh and The Queen of the Night, and the essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel. He was the 2021 US Artists Fellow and Guggenheim Fellow in Nonfiction, and he is full professor of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth. 

   The episode airs on April 22.