From Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Miriam Pawel comes a panoramic history of California and its impact on the nation. From the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley, she shares its story through the lens of the family dynasty that led the state for nearly a quarter century.
Pawel weaves a narrative history that spans four generations, from August Schuckman, the Prussian immigrant who crossed the Plains in 1852 and settled on a northern California ranch, to his great-grandson Jerry Brown, who reclaimed the family homestead one hundred forty years later. Through the prism of their lives, we gain an essential understanding of California and an appreciation of its importance.
Enhanced by dozens of striking photos, this book gives new insights to those fluent in California history and offers a corrective view for those who may confuse stereotypes and legend for fact, allowing its readers to gain an essential understanding of California and an appreciation of its importance.
About the Author
Miriam Pawel is an award-winning reporter and editor who spent twenty-five years working for Newsday and the Los Angeles Times. She was recently an Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellow and a John Jacobs Fellow at the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing