March 28th, 2015 – 3pm: Join in local historians and the literary community of the Monterey Peninsula as we delve into some of our history’s most interesting personalities, events, and stories.
The Monterey County Weekly wrote:
Carmel native, author, historian and counter culture activist John Thompson speaks on local socialists, democrats, environmentalists responsible for early progress in the fields of social justice and integration on the Monterey Peninsula. The progressive pioneers Thompson speaks about include feminist Susan Gregory, Carmel radical Lincoln Steffans and early Pacific Grove NAACP leaders, among others whose efforts were critical during a time of social upheaval. Thompson presents a historical compilation in his book “Secret History of Carmel.”[1]
One of the central themes of the book deals with reading of Father Juniper Serra which claims that his relationship to indigenous people is far more complex and “cannot be simplified as a Catholic priest who subjugated the natives.” [2]
John Thompson was born in Carmel and became its leading counter-culture artist in the Sixties. Having graduated from UC in Art History, he conducted extensive interviews of those close to the town’s leading creative forces during the past century. This is the first book, based on his two hundred published articles on Carmel heritage, to present previously “secret” knowledge of the town’s most colorful and bright characters.
Old Capitol Books 