Journey to the Sun

“A popular, highly readable history of an important figure…Orfalea’s book is polished and professional.” * LA Times *
“A California story becomes an American story…[a] passionate resurrection of the largely forgotten Spanish Franciscan priest who founded the early missions along the California coast…this sympathetic portrait of the well-meaning though flawed priest…sifts carefully through the record…A doggedly researched and fulsomely argued biography.” * Kirkus *
“One merely has to look at the place names in modern California to confirm the enduring legacy of the Spanish colonization of the area. To a great extent, the initial success of that effort was due to the labors of the Franciscan priest Junipero Serra. This admiring and admirable biography pays tribute to an essential figure in the early development of California.” * Booklist *
“Journey to the Sun is a highly readable, interpretive account of Junipero Serra’s life. Gregory Orfalea brings his vast breadth of knowledge to fleshing out a humanistic narrative of a man whose history is often distorted and confounding. A brilliant biography about a key Hispanic figure in the launching of American history.” – Daniel E. Krieger, Professor of History, Emeritus, California Polyte
“Orfalea’s riveting narrative significantly enriches our grasp of the illusive and controverted Junipero Serra with delightful episodes from his life in Spain and Mexico based on the author’s painstaking research never before reported. Arguably, Serra comes alive in this volume as in no other. Great story-telling and fast-moving action together with a stupendous familiarity with the bibliography on Serra make this an original and substantive addition to the field. Scholars and the general public will find this volume enlightening and a good read.” – Allan Figueroa Deck, SJ, Casassa Chair and Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University
“Orfalea’s lively and engaging narrative not only humanizes Junipero Serra, but just as important takes into consideration the cultural perspectives of California Indians as they engaged the Spanish colonial world.” – John R. Johnson, Ph.D., Curator of Anthropology, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
“A California story becomes an American story…[a] passionate resurrection of the largely forgotten Spanish Franciscan priest who founded the early missions along the California coast…this sympathetic portrait of the well-meaning though flawed priest…sifts carefully through the record…A doggedly researched and fulsomely argued biography.” * Kirkus *

Gregory Orfalea was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and educated at Georgetown University and the University of Alaska. He has held teaching positions at Georgetown, The Claremont Colleges, and at Westmont College. Orfalea is the author and editor of eight books, the most recent of which are the short story collection The Man Who Guarded the Bomb and Angeleno Days, which won the 2010 Arab American Book Award and has been named a Finalist for the PEN USA Award in Creative Nonfiction.

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