THE TOP 3 REALIST ATTRACTIONS IN LOS ANGELES
Reading Letters to My City by Mike Sonksen was like taking a tour of the realist places to see and experience in Los Angeles. His passion for L. A. and its surrounding cities made it a page-turner for me. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for years, but after this book, I realized all I know is the touristy stuff. In this book, he shows you the areas beyond the advertised tours; the genuine history so you forever remember that L.A. is much more than Hollywood, Sunset, beaches, surfboards, and scary neighborhoods. But it’s not just an amazing literary tour of Los Angeles and its surrounding communities, the book also offers the author’s brilliant poems which add to the richness of the depth displayed in this book. Even the book’s trailer is amazing because it’s Mike Sonksen performing his poem called “I am still alive in Los Angeles” (7-9), and it shows some places he writes about in his essays. One place of note is when he’s sitting in front of Cascade Park; the waterfall directly in front of him, a gem glinting in the sun while flanked by flawless lawns.
Personally, I never liked where I grew up but had no way to explore further than my block, so I used to dream of living in East Los Angeles, attending Garfield High School, and be classmates with people who looked like me. And when I lived with an amazing Angeleno, I used to wish I could navigate the maze of L.A. streets that confused me like a mouse who couldn’t smell the cheese. So, knowing that Mike Sonksen’s book was going to take me on an insider’s tour of Los Angeles excited me, as if I was a boy who couldn’t sleep before his first trip to Disneyland. Because, as a first-generation American, reading Sonksen’s third-generation point of view of L. A. was priceless.
After closing the last page, I almost reached out to the author, hoping to experience one of these tours, meeting the scholars who give them an unparalleled depth only a true aficionado of Los Angeles could give. I swear, this book was so rich with points of interest it was hard to narrow it down. But I did it! These are the top 3 spots representing the unknown heart of what makes the City of Angels one of the most famous metropolises ever.
Tonalli Studio
The first place that jumped out is called Tonalli Studio, and it’s also known as Colibri Boutique. The main reason for it sticking out to me was because it’s an “artistic space located on Avenida Cesar Chavez in the middle of the Maravilla district of East Los Angeles” (97), and because I have never been to East Los. Yet, this place sounds amazing! For one, the founders are a mother-daughter duo who sound like people everyone should meet. The mother, Ofelia Esparza, and her daughter, Rosanna Esparza Ahrens, made Tonalli Studio a wonderful “meeting place for the healthy and creative community to convene through art exhibits, poetry, music, yoga, wellness workshops and community building” (97), and it’s this plethora of goodness that makes it a must-see landmark of Los Angeles for everyone to enjoy.
Another reason to visit this place is because of Ofelia Esparza herself. Her story inspires and her energy uplifts everyone who comes in contact with her aura. The woman’s mastery of Día de los Muertos altars is one major reason to visit the studio annually. Even the studio’s name has a deeper meaning than just being interesting; the word “Tonalli” is one that has “roots in Mesoamerica which means ‘that which creates or emanates energy; or, the spark of creation.’ Analogous to chi and spiritual energy, Esparza chose this word for their space after seeing it in one of her many reference books” (100). It’s this depth of meaning that ensures Tonalli Studio is a must-visit attraction that goes beyond the double-decker bus tours of Los Angeles. Her spirit is so special, when Erin Yoshi’s collection was shown at Tonalli, her collection was “topped off by a huge mural of Ofelia Esparza on the space’s outside western wall” (103).
Historic South Central
Another place that gained my interest was South Central Los Angeles, specifically the “Historic South Central” because I never knew there was a historic section. My experience in the area was mostly limited to Leimert Park and the neighborhood on Second and Vernon, so it would be great to experience Mr. Sonksen’s tour of the region. From what I read, he also adds depth to the tours by bringing in scholars who understand the culture and history of the area. The passion he has for South Central and its luminaries comes through in his spoken word poem on page 143 called “Watts to Leimert Park,” and the amazing part is, he has access to these intellectuals mentioned in the poem, and they help the tour come to life, making his tours feel like a living history book lesson you could not learn any other way. This is the best part of his tours because, first of all, he’s also a professor in Los Angeles so you know the lesson part will be exceptional due to his ability to inspire and educate his students that revere him years after their last day in his class. The heart he brings to his tours shines through his poem, which also accentuates the essay that comes afterward called “The History of South Central Los Angeles: A Life or Death Situation,” when he states, “The media paints a portrait of South Central that overlooks/ the people, real people, not some exaggerated mythical evil./ The mythical South Central is used by record and industry/ executives to sell gangsta fantasy when most of South Central/ is about Family” (143-144). All I know is, the fact he points out family when talking about the area shows how much he understands the heart of South Central. This poem and essay combination is just one example of many where Mike Sonksen incorporates both beautifully throughout Letters to My City in order to add a deeper sense of meaning to both.
Otomisan
The third place that jumped out to me was a restaurant called Otomisan because it’s “the only remaining Japanese Restaurant in Boyle Heights” (183)! It’s also a location that exemplifies the family-insider point of view Mr. Sonksen brings to his tours and essays about Los Angeles. The essay about Otomisan presents the historical magnitude of this restaurant immediately by stating that it’s a cultural artifact representing a time when Boyle Heights had a large Japanese population, which would surprise many because Boyle Heights is predominantly Latino nowadays. And when he reaches the meat of his essay, the author shows his heart for the area by placing the sentence, “This is a story of family, food and neighborhood” (183), on its own before bringing up the backstory. The backstory about the owner, Yayoi Watanabe, and her family is one example of how Sonksen brings an authentic richness to any tour he’s conducting. It also connects beautifully with the notion Ofelia Esparza shares about the three deaths on page 102, since Watanabe bought the restaurant because it was about to suffer the third death which she saw happen to the forgotten Fuji Café.
The Last Stop
Like his tours in real life, it surprised me how fast the time went by when I was reading his book. As I went through my notes, I noticed that every place he spoke of in his essays and poems were places I would love to visit. Experiencing Los Angeles through his book has inspired my want of taking even small trips to show my mom the places he writes about; the beauty of Mike’s connection to L. A. through cruising around with his father and grandfather and now with his own children to pass it on should motivate everyone to spend time with their family to see the city beyond the Hollywood sign. Because just like he mentioned South Central was about family, I want you to know his book is about the Los Angeles family, regardless if it’s immediate or extended.
The three places I picked out, they are just the on-ramp for the freeway the author takes you on to show you the heartbeat of Greater L. A. From exploring the architecture of John Parkinson, taking a drive down 105, checking out the garden at the Carmelitos Housing Project, cruising Garvey Avenue to El Monte, listening to Hip Hop history, looking at the billion-dollar view of downtown to the Eastside with former Los Angeles Poet Laureate Luis Rodriguez, all the way to the mural called “The Wall that Cracked Open,” it was difficult to narrow it down to three as the focus of this review.
Flat out, reading this book is the best literary behind-the-glitz tour of Los Angeles you could ever experience. And this type of tour could only be provided by a person with bona fide passion for L.A. and the surrounding cities making up Greater Los Angeles. Thankfully, the author experienced firsthand knowledge from his father and grandfather from taking him on drives around L. A., making him an irreplaceable resource for taking tours of Los Angeles, going beyond the places the Hollywood Bus Tours take you. Letters to My City is a must-read book of poems and essays, and Mike Sonksen’s Los Angeles city tours should be a must-do for any residents or tourists wanting to experience the real L. A.
Thank you for reading our book review about Letters to My City by Mike Sonksen. We are not affiliated with the publisher, but here’s the link to pick up a copy.
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E. R. Sanchez is the author of Fried Potato Press’s first young adult thriller, Petaco Dreams, which will be released in 2023. He also has poems and stories published online and in print. If you’d like to read his work that was published online, please click here to go to his Stories and Poetry Section.