Quickie Book Recommendation - Haslam's Valley by Gerald Haslam

I'm only 60 pages into Haslam's Valley, the short story collection by California fiction and nonfiction author Gerald Haslaam, but it's more than enough to declare it essential reading for anyone who lives or grew up in or around Oildale, CA and is proud or fond of that fact, or anyone who wants to discover the "Other California" between the two big cities.  Haslam has been writing and winning awards for decades, so I'm somewhat abashed that I'm just now discovering him, but better late than never.  I'll make this a full-blown review when I'm finished, but didn't want to waste any time in recommending it.  Bakersfieldians can find it at Russo's Bookstore in the Marketplace.