In the middle. In other words, mediocre. You're calling us mediocre SoCal?!!!!

Hehe. You know I'm kidding.
Since you're really interested in other countries, SoCal, if you're looking for a very good book written by Malaysian, buy Rehman Rashid's A Malaysian Journey. Absolutely insightful reading. It's a bit of a road trip, a memoir, criticism, and love affair between the writer and the country. It was written in the 90s but still a very good read.