Customer Reviews

California: America's High-Stakes Experiment, With a New Preface

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People who are not from California often ask me why we are going bankrupt. I then ask them where they are from and if they are not from Ohio, then I recommend they read this book. A lot of things had to come into play in order for California to end up in the precarious situation in which it currently finds itself. This book does a good job of breaking some of those factors down and gives a layman's perspective into complex macroeconomic issues that sent things spiraling into billions of dollars of debt and political stagnation.

At the very least, it gives one a superficial familiarity with the elements in play and will make you more interesting at cocktail parties.

From immigration to changing California politics and focus, Peter Schrag surveys the major issues affecting the state, providing an analysis of political, social and technological issues that are affecting California's livability and direction. Schrag was the editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee for 19 years: his perspective provides a long-term analysis which takes into account past efforts and changing modern focuses alike, with a position near the state's capital offering many close inspections of politics and policy-makers. A fine survey of investment, dysfunction, and success evolves.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The author of this book had a chance to say something insightful and profound about California's recent past and its future, but he failed to do that. Instead he just rehashed arguments that he made in his last book, "Paradise Lost," which wasn't as bad as this one.
One of the most annoying things about this book is how Schrag uses quotes from academics when what the academics say is common knowledge. In these cases, Schrag shows his background as a newspaper man, but it is to his detriment. Don't read this book unless you have to for school (like me)