California, Kevin Starr
California, Kevin Starr
6 Rating(s)
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

California
A History

Author: Kevin Starr

Narrator: Jonathan Davis

Unabridged: 13 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 12/03/2010

Categories: Nonfiction, History


Synopsis

From the age of exploration to the age of Arnold, the Golden State’s premier historian distills the entire sweep of California’s history into one splendid volume.

Kevin Starr covers it all: Spain’s conquest of the native peoples of California in the early sixteenth century and the chain of missions that helped that country exert control over the upper part of the territory; the discovery of gold in January 1848; the incredible wealth of the Big Four railroad tycoons; the devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906; the emergence of Hollywood as the world’s entertainment capital and of Silicon Valley as the center of high-tech research and development; the role of labor, both organized and migrant, in key industries from agriculture to aerospace. In a rapid-fire epic of discovery, innovation, catastrophe, and triumph, Starr gathers together everything that is most important, most fascinating, and most revealing about our greatest state.

"A California classic … California, it should be remembered, was very much the wild west, having to wait until 1850 before it could force its way into statehood. so what tamed it? Mr. Starr’s answer is a combination of great men, great ideas and great projects.”—The Economist

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ryan

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

Goodreads review by Marion

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

Goodreads review by Elyse

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