San Fernando Valley: Past and Present [Hardcover]

Lawrence Jorgensen (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 262 pages
• Publisher: Pacific Rim Research; 1st edition (June 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941014002
• ISBN-13: 978-0941014007
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,148,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars PC Sermons Masquerading as History, August 19, 2010

By 

Fritters (Los Angeles, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: San Fernando Valley: Past and Present (Hardcover)

I got up to the third chapter of this book before I gave up. I, for one, LOVE the San Fernando Valley, and adore reading anything I can get my hands on about the history. I checked this out of my local library and boy am I glad I didn't pay for this. So far, the book is telling a fact, then making a supposition, and then sermonizing against the perceived ills they see for several paragraphs. Facts are few and far between. I admit, I did not finish this book, but for someone who adores the valley and its history, that's _really_ saying something. I can usually put up with a LOT to learn more about my beloved valley.

If I had to sum up, I'd say this book (at least the first 3 chapters, which was all I could take) is 60% sermonizing on the evils of Americans, Civilization and Science, then 20% supposition and 20% fact. I stopped reading after I saw that he devoted an entire page to what a "seer" said about the history of the valley. What appalls me the most is that this book was in the children's section of the library, where it can do the most harm.

In its defense, the first three chapters were written by the main author, and most of the rest of the book is by other writers, but as he is the editor of those essays and chose to include them, I'm giving up hope on this one.

If you believe everything Americans and Westerners and Christians and Scientists do is evil and horrible and out to destroy us all and that pseudo-science like mentalists are valid historians then by all means, buy and read this book, program your children with it. Otherwise, don't bother. I'm returning it tomorrow.