This is a remarkable book. It not only tells one of the richest, most inclusive histories of Orange County out there, but it pulls you along for the ride, taking you to the places and hearing the voices of the people long ignored who made that history.--Becky Nicolaides, author of My Blue Heaven: Life and Politics in the Working-Class Suburbs of Los Angeles, 1920-1965 Dismiss clichés of what's behind the Orange Curtain. This People's Guide layers Orange County's troubled history onto today's uneasy present to reveal, in dozens of smart vignettes, the character of a place and its people. Intensely local yet expansive in their critical insight, the authors rouse true stories of desire and loss, of conflict and resistance, from Orange County's suburban dreamscape.--D. J. Waldie, author of Becoming Los Angeles: Myth, Memory, and a Sense of Place This book showed me that history is not just in my textbooks. It's in my backyard.--Joyce Jogwe, eleventh grade student and Santa Ana resident This engaging guide to Orange County offers a critical counterpoint to the 'happiest place on earth.' It pulls back the stucco curtain to highlight diverse histories of struggle, resistance, and place-making. A fascinating read that will be an important resource for teachers, scholars, and lovers of history.--Genevieve Carpio, author of Collisions at the Crossroads: How Place and Mobility Make Race For many, Orange County is synonymous with a host of fictional and real characters ranging from Mickey Mouse to Richard Nixon. By centering overlooked and marginalized communities, places, and people, this book challenges us to see Orange County anew. Required reading for students interested in the past and future of Southern California.--Romeo Guzmán, coeditor of East of East: The Making of Greater El Monte