Customer Reviews

Roadside History of California (Roadside History Series)

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Looking for titles that cover both California Roads AND California History, I was surprised to not only find so few, but also to find Ruth Pittman's thoroughly researched "Roadside History of California." Ms. Pittman enjoyably includes historical photos and roadmaps alongside her historical anecodotes. This book would be an entertaining companion to bring along on my next roadtrip to any of the twelve California regions that she covers with one to six excursions, depending on the location. This book could also be good armchair reading to anyone encumbered by wanderlust, but unable to physically get out on the road.

Disappointing entry to an otherwise fine collection of Roadside History books. If you're interested in the struggles of minority labor (Chinese) and the Spanish Mission era, then you'll enjoy this book. The author missed out on Cezar Chavez's rich California history. The author, in my opinion, almost ignored the east side of the Sierra Nevada with its rich pack equine history. What about Father Crowley and his role in the water wars of the Owens Valley? And the monuments in his name? This is a book that should be divided into three separate volumes by state sectors for a more complete history. The author is quoted to say "there are other less history-rich towns in this area". These are quite possibly the towns and areas you bought the book to learn about. Glad I paid only a penny for it!

Mrs. Pittman's book is not a great book by any means. It certainly has it's good points here and there, but it is not very well organized, and does very little to tie together the tidbits into any kind of cohesive whole.

But the irritating thing about this book is the author's left-wing bias. Looking at her picture, you wouldn't think of Mrs. Pittman as a "flaming liberal." But the points she makes - and, more importantly, doesn't make - read like a classic case of leftist revisionist history.

There's no where this is more apparent than in the short chapter on San Francisco. Writing about the City, Pittman devotes almost the entire chapter to denouncing the "vigilance committees" of the immediate post gold rush era. Pittman whines, "Many historians have upheld, even praised the work of the vigilantes of San Francisco, but there's no escaping the truth: These self righteous bullies were criminals." Pittman conveniently ignores the reality of brutal gangs - particularly Australian gangs - that made the city hell in the early days. Simply put, many historians (and I would say 'most' historians) have praised the vigilance committees because they were praise-worthy!

This tone unfortunately runs through the whole book. From the obligatory Port Chicago chapter to denouncing authorities at nearly every turn (like blaming the cops for the St. James Park lynching in San Jose in 1933).

This book should be titled "An old, bleeding-heart liberal's roadside guide to the atrocities committed by white people in California."