A Fairer Paradise: California River Delta Stories by Randall Marcus Gutierrez (Paperback)

In the 1930’s, the California Delta provides a haven for people and incidents during the Great Depression and Prohibition. A man and his son rescue a duckling entangled in the waters of Steamboat Slough. Ronny, a San Francisco resident recently separated from his family, and Michela, his lover, experience a gala event at the Ryde Hotel, meeting couples with intriguing personalities engaging in the drink, dance and conflicts of the age. Tony and Paul, young Italian brothers from the town of Pittsburg, ride on the Delta River Road destined for a "house of ill repute" in the small Chinese immigrant town of Locke, struggling with their moral obligations during their journey. A woman, emotionally distraught, suffers from a tragic incident in Hollywood and flees to safety on the steamboat Delta King. And Puy, the legendary god of Mt. Diablo, is worshiped by Diego, a man living in the Delta with his sister and nephew, and, after decades fruitlessly searching for Puy in his annual trip to Mt. Diablo, attempts his last climb to the summit to prove Puy’s existence. Interesting stories of people living and experiencing life in a variety of ethnic, social and religious sects in California’s river delta.