California was formed by a series of subductions and other accretive processes, effectively bolting the coastal and Sierra mountain ranges onto the North American landmass. The author reviews the evidence in ‘northern California’, particularly the gold rush that is the most famous example, before ranging further afield (Arizona, Cypress, Greece) to elaborate the theory of plate tectonics. The paradise revolutionized the geology of Eldridge Moores, the book’s protagonist. Also contains an interesting analysis of earthquakes and their impact on the San Francisco-Santa Cruz region. At times too technical (for me), but in all an excellent survey and resource on Norcal topography.
California
16. Cannon, Governor Reagan (28 Dec 2010)
Narrates Ronald Reagan’s rise to and career as governor of California (1966-74), the era when he became an accomplished politician. Reagan’s conservative / populist rhetoric belied pragmatic governance, often made necessary by Democrats controlling the legislature. For example, he raised taxes his first year in office and blocked Eel River development, bucking the establishment. His bipartisan welfare reform also was successful; his record on education reform and the budget (i.e., tax reform) less so. Based on contemporary reporting and augmented by post facto interviews, Canon portrays not only the principal but also the many surrounding figures. Including by a treatment of boyhood, acting, and his presidential campaign, the book adds up to first-rate political biography.
6. Starr, Coast of Dreams (~ Apr 2005)
A provincial, largely forgettable treatment of public life in California from 1990-2003. Starr, the state librarian for most of the term, ranges from establishmentarian to postmodern fellow traveler, writing as if to please the academy. As an assessment of important events, the book lacks context and reads like too many clipped essays strung together, especially on such matters as political economy or social issues like ‘diversity’. A major theme, the comparison of Los Angeles and San Francisco, is poorly constructed as the southern metropole should be compared to the greater Bay Area. Starr shortchanges the digital revolution, devoting a scant seven pages to the dot coms — focused on the downturn at that — and misses the cloud / collaborative trend that is more important than offshore production as a barometer of innovation. The book’s treatment of second-tier cities (i.e., San Diego, Sacramento, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs) is somewhat useful, and Starr is also helpful on the aerospace collapse, crime in LA, and a few other topics. But the decade’s principal triumphs are seen as large public works (often in the Southland), and much cultural analysis appears to be narrowly written for architects. There is little political narrative, even as the state was moving toward a single-party oligarchy. Starr’s primary question — wither California’s middle-class dream — is inconclusively answered. More rigorous historical treatment awaits.