This website is dedicated to the book The Mammoth Letters: Running Away to a Mountain Town and information for visitors and locals about Mammoth Lakes and the Eastern Sierra. It contains stories, a community calendar, useful resources, a list of books about the region and whatever else we run across. Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoy your time in the Eastern Sierra.
Here’s a link to the news release about the book: The Mammoth Letters
Here’s a link to the article from the Del Mar Times about the book: Del Mar author pens insights into Eastern Sierra
Here’s a link to a book review in the Sheet: The Mammoth Letters
Here’s an interview with Jennifer Crittenden, the organizer of the Eastern Sierra Book Festival and author of The Mammoth Letters and Working Dogs of the Eastern Sierra, with Christopher Platt, head librarian of Mono Co libraries and Stacy Adler, superintendent of Mono Co schools, on their Oxygen Starved podcast in which they talk about the origins of the festival, as well as writing and reading and what makes the Eastern Sierra so intoxicating.
About the book:
WINNER OF THE 2018 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD IN THE REGIONAL NON-FICTION: WEST CATEGORY
Questions arise when a big city family moves to a remote mountain town in the Eastern Sierra: Why is there a bear in the grocery store? What happened to the missing school teacher? Where do you buy soccer socks around here? Skillfully blending anecdote, history, and description, The Mammoth Letters is an amusing and sensitive portrayal of an eclectic town and its colorful inhabitants and will inspire anyone who has wondered about making the leap from one world to another. In a book of wide emotional range, readers will discover mystery, beauty, and tragedy in how a majestic but unforgiving alpine wilderness affects those living at its edge.
“Had a blast reading this. The author definitely did her homework, and I learned a lot. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or an old time local, you’ll enjoy the Crittenden adventures.”
~Shields Richardson, Mammoth Lakes Town Councilman and Former Mayor
“Funny, fun, and honest, The Mammoth Letters is a fantastic snapshot of life and culture in one of California’s most quirky, charming and remote communities.”
~Mike Gervais, Mammoth Times Publisher
“In the tradition of great storytellers, the author gives us a humorous and informative glimpse into the lives of the intrepid ‘git ’er done’ people who built this community and the trials and tribulations that brought us from the past to the present.”
~ Robert Joki, President of the Southern Mono Historical Society