num_pages: 432
description: A historical romance with an activist heart, and an impassioned critique of U.S. expansionism—with an introduction by Ana Castillo, author of  So Far from GodA fiercely partisan novel based on the author’s own experiences,  The Squatter and the Don  follows two families living near San Diego shortly after the United States’ annexation of the Alamares of the landed Mexican gentry, and the Darrells, the New Englanders who seek to claim the Alamares’ land. When young Clarence Darrell falls in love with Mercedes Alamar, the stage is set for a conflict that blends the personal with the political. A scathing critique of corporate capitalism, this story exposes the true historical plight of  californios  as their lands are taken away by a government with incestuous ties to the railroad monopoly—institutions laced with the greed and racism of nineteenth-century America’s expansionist agenda.  The Modern Library Torchbearers series features women who wrote on their own terms, with boldness, creativity, and a spirit of resistance.
language: English
title: The Squatter and the Don
titlecomplete: The Squatter and the Don
genres: Literature, American, Classics, School, Novels, Read For College, 19th Century, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Read For School
ratings_count: 401
publisher: Modern Library