The Journal of San Diego History
SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
Spring 1985, Volume 31, Number 2
Thomas L. Scharf, Editor

Book Notes

Raymond Starr, Book Review Editor

Fray Junipero Serra: This Most Unworthy Priest. By Mark Burnable. Carmel, Cal.: Dobronte Publications, 1984. Map. Illustrations. 78 Pages. $6.50 Paperback.

In this year of Bicentennial celebrations, many new items have come out on Junipero Serra. One such is Mark Brunelle’s Fray Junipero Serra, an account of the priest in California. The book is totally undocumented and includes invented scenes and conversations to such an extent that it has to be called a fictionalized account of Serra in California. It is worshipful to a fault: Serra is “the little priest who had the heart of a giant,” and “with his arms outstretched in prayer,” Serra “looked like a cross.” It is obvious that the author would consider sainthood an insufficient recognition of Sierra’s worth. The book is short and very readable and will probably sell well in the bookshops of the museums and missions of California.