California: A History
Modern Library Chronicles

Returning to my home state after a 12-year exile, I realized the last time I'd studied California history was in the fourth grade. Kevin Starr's slim volume was just what I needed to catch myself up. 344 pages is by no means enough for a truly comprehensive history, but Starr deftly surveys the deve......more

A little dry. Filled with lists of people - artists, politicians, etc. I need a more interesting history of CA to read.......more

I was really excited about this book as a Californian and history nerd. There are few books on California history and this is among them. As I made my way through, I was bored.. California is not boring, and neither is history. At this point, I was mildly frustrated and continued through, at which p......more

On one hand, it’s pretty extensive. It covers everything from Jesuits to the Gold Rush to hippies. But on the other, some major California figures are relegated to only a couple of paragraphs at most. Maybe naively, but I want whole chapters on William Randolph Hearst, John Muir, William Mulholland,......more