Customer Reviews

The Dream Endures: California Enters the 1940s (Americans and the California Dream)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A great introduction to So Cal history with a comprehensive reviw of the whole cultural and historical landscape. Just as important, the writing is quick and entertaining.

If you've read any of Dr. Starr's California histories, you've got the idea. Generally they're excellent. And if you've read SEVERAL of Dr. Starr's California histories, you'll undoubtedly notice that he has his favorite subjects: Colleges and universities, churches and institutional architecture, preferably Gothic or Spanish Revival. Being a transplanted East Coaster, I like this kind of thing, but I can also see where a dedicated Westie might find it tedious and oh so dry. All of these books come down to basically the same thing: History of California institutions from an Ivy League perspective. Imagine if Henry Adams had lived another 80 years and had written a history of California.

This is the second book in this set I've attempted to read, and having just made another effort at it, I realized why I put it down: The pages are peopled only by the gifted few, the elite, who they knew (but only a brief mention there) and what they did (a snippet in most cases). History is full of books telling of the exploits of kings and generals, and titans of industry, and often they never leave the realm in which the main character lives. This book [series] purports to be a history of California, but where are the other Californians? The rest of us are mentioned by group associations, we're italians in San Francisco if that's how the reference points; we're The Middle Class(es) most of the time, but we're always faceless, a shadow down on the beach, a blur of cars on the street below. The book reads more like the society pages, and while it does manage, every now and then, to evoke California at a specific moment, it does so only briefly, then it's off to the list of names of the now mostly dead (and almost exclusively white) people, breathlessly mentioned so you know... Know what though? I've got a lot of books on California history, some are more entertaining than useful, this one is neither. It's just fluttering recitation of important names. I gave it two stars as at least Mr. Starr can write well enough to read what he's saying and not get distracted by the prose. It's still going to the Goodwill.