I just finished reading two great new Monrovia history books by historian Richard Singer: Monrovia Confidential, about the seamy side of life in a “great little American town,“ and Tales of the Gem City, snapshots of life in Monrovia from 1912 to 1950.
Both books, collections of short stories, are relatively brief compared to his previous works, 173 pages for Monrovia Confidential and 140 for Tales of the Gem City, and both are thoroughly engaging.
For example, in Tales of the Gem City, there’s the story of the Dokeys (yes, Dokeys), their fabulous get together here in Monrovia, and it’s unfortunate conclusion.
And in Monrovia Confidential, we learn of Marcus (aka “Shorty”) Monroe, the unsavory grandson of town founder, William Monroe.
Here’s the start of that story, just to give you a flavor of how Singer writes:
“One thing had to be clear to Marcus Monroe as he sat in a Mexican jail awaiting extradition. He was a failure at his chosen profession.
“Lord knows he'd tried—really worked at it—but, with one failure after another over more than three decades, his career in crime had pretty much run its course. Not that he wasn't good at robbery and thuggery and such. He was. He just wasn't very good at getting away with it. And now here he was, 51 years old and in jail again.”
Both books are available for purchase for $20 each at Charlie's House, 430 S. Myrtle Ave. in Old Town. All proceeds go to support Monrovia's historical heritage.
- Brad Haugaard
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