California (on the Road Histories) - (On-The-Road Histories) by Victor Silverman & Laurie Glover (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A witty, expansive narrative that reveals the real story of the people and places that makes up the Golden State.

A witty, expansive narrative that reveals the real story of the people and places that makes up the Golden State. From the European conquest to today's economic crisis, Californians have experienced tumultuous growth and painful conflicts. Like the grinding of tectonic plates that has produced the state's very landscape, these encounters, disputes, and transformations have continuously made and remade California. California: On-the-Road History doesn't relate the cleaned-up tale of the California dream that school textbooks and the tourism commission tell. Rather it presents the sometimes bitter, sometimes triumphant history behind the California myth. Included are recommended museums, state parks, and other attractions, alongside literary excerpts from local authors who give readers a sense of California in different eras.

On-the-Road Histories

Interlink's new travel series is a glorious, full-color salute to the cultural, geographic, and historical riches of the United States. These brief histories are as idiosyncratic as the individual states themselves: here a treatise on country music; there a brief history of North American mountain climbing. Each volume nevertheless shares elements that make any one of them a literate companion for that American classic: the road trip.

Featuring

- Historical maps

- Full-color & b&w photographs

- Must-see sites

- Famous sons & daughters

- Literary extracts

Review Quotes

"Beginning with precolonial California and stretching through the present day, Silverman (history, Pomona Coll.) and Glover (writing, Univ. of California, Davis) cover a significant time span in a clearly organized and readable narrative. Chapters contain ample photographs, many in full color. One of this title's strongest points is its explicit mission to combat the whitewashing of California history; it does not shy away from difficult subjects or conflicts and continually emphasizes the role of minorities. With much more history than classic travel guides like Fodor's or Frommer's but less depth than an academic monograph, this should appeal to readers of popular history, who will appreciate its wide range and respect for diversity."