When I tell people that I’m from San Lorenzo, I usually receive a puzzled look.  If I then reply that it’s near Hayward, they smile, nod, and pretend to remember driving by it on the freeway. 

Perhaps that’s why it’s so difficult to find any books on the subject. It’s easy to find novels written by authors attracted to the picturesque backdrop of San Francisco, but finding a book that mentions San Lorenzo — not so easy.

Yet, here are six titles I’ve found worth checking out:

The Idea of Home was written by San Lorenzo native, Curtis White. Although White and I grew up under the same sycamore trees, his dark depictions of San Lorenzo in the 1950’s do not exactly mirror my happy memories of the Village. 

Shaken Days, a children’s book by Marion Garthwaite, tells the story of the San Francisco Earthquake as experienced by a young girl growing up in San Leandro. The earthquake opens a crack under the stairs of their old Victorian house, revealing a hidden room containing a forgotten treasure.

That Memory of Evil is a tale of suspense written by John Reddoch, a 1964 graduate of Arroyo High School. Reddoch’s story takes place in the mid-1950s, and depicts a group of Boy Scouts, whose hike in the Oakland hills, leads to terror. This book is full of nostalgia, and it is my understanding that some of the story lines came from the author’s own personal experiences growing up in San Lorenzo.

East Bay Grease is a novel written by Eric Miles Williamson, a 1979 graduate of Pacific High School in San Leandro. Although the characters are real, the novel places them in a fictional junior high school, in this coming-of-age story which takes place in Oakland during the 1960s and ‘70s.

Lunch Bucket Paradise: A True-Life Novel, by Fred Setterberg, is the story of growing up in the Washington Manor district of San Leandro during the post-war era. Mr. Setterberg has changed some of the names, but many who grew up in the area may recognize his descriptions of the neighborhood.  Excerpts from his book can be found on San Leandro Patch.

San Lorenzo historian, Doris Marciel, together with the Hayward Area Historical Society, compiled a history of San Lorenzo for the Images of America series.  Many people do not realize the area’s rich past, before its development by the Bohannon Corporation. This book is filled with historical facts and photographs, and is a must-have for anyone who has ever lived in San Lorenzo.

Friends who aren’t from the area still scratch their heads when I try to explain where San Lorenzo is. It must have been a mystery even to John Steinbeck, who mentions San Leandro in his 1952 novel, East of Eden, but overlooks San Lorenzo Village.

Today, it’s still one of the best kept secrets around — like a hidden room containing a forgotten treasure.