California Books

Any history book by Kevin Starr is worth reading. I'm working my way through all of them. He is the greatest California historian ever!

Kevin Starr's continuing work on the history of California since 1850 continues to impress me and fill me with interesting and useful knowledge about the state. Being a resident of the state, it is relatively easy for me to keep following the thread and the meaning of names and locations. I can imagine this would be somewhat more difficult for readers not as familiar with our state. The story of the waterfront strikes in San Francisco and the farming/migrant/labor issues of the 1930s are very compelling and should be easily understood by readers regardless of where they are from. The issues dealing with our water supply and other water management issues as well as those dealing with large public works within the state, can pose a bigger challenge for those readers.

As with his other volumes, Mr. Starr doesn't just give us straight-ahead, factual history. In my view, he is especially good at giving incidental stories about some of the players involved in a way that keeps the reader more interested. Immediately after finishing the book I went to the internet to find out more about people like photographer Dorothea Lange and the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. That is what I ask of books like these: that they teach me about things I don't know much about and that they cause me to follow up and learn more about some of the topics within the book.

One learns reading this particular volume that the current quirkiness of California (governor recalls, liberalism, social diversity) is not something that just developed in the 1970s. We had recall movements back in the 1930s as well and some ugliness comes through regarding racism and discrimination in this state that sometimes thinks so highly of itself in that area. It is truly shameful how we discriminated against all migrant workers, whether of color or the Oakies that came to us from the Dust Bowl. The stories of abuse of power by the police and other government entities were very interesting.

I would love to have every Californian---especially our politicians---read Mr. Starr's work. Most history is slow to read, and this is no exception, but the amounts of knowledge one will get about California, make it worth the while.

This fourth chapter in Starr's "Americans and the California Dream" is the best yet. I was paticularly interested, in what Starr sees as the States battle between the forces of communism and fascism. The text reads like an account of a some great war, following each battle and skirmish throughout the State. I would recommend this work to anyone who is seriously interested in California or Labor history.

I finally got around to reading "The Grapes of Wrath" and was ashamed to realize that the context of the story was all new to me. Right about then, Kevin Starr's book came out and was reviewed in my local paper. He's done a great, steady job of illuminating the rise of the unions and the treatment of the Okies. The only major flaw I found was the lack of a map of California included in the book. I'm from the east coast and found it difficult to keep the place names straight without a ready reference.

This was a great mystery -- kept me entertained all the way through. But I have one question for the author. She referred to the different colors of Monopoly playing pieces: "He sat in the chair that was usually his and placed two pieces on Go. Purple was his father's favorite. He took it for himself and gave his father the yellow." Isn't Monopoly played with the well-known "tokens" -- hat, dog, race car, etc.?

This is a good mystery which is very easy to read. My one dissapointment was Jesse Drake. I'm tired of reading about gorgeous women cops that all the fellow officers harass in some way. I still have to find one book about women on the force which weren't harassed in some ways by the male species. Very tiresome. Still, this book is worth a read.

A friend lent me this book, and thought I would enjoy the plot. I am, I admit, a lover of thrillers and read this in one day.

A strange killer is on the moves (pun intended), and a woman detective (Jessie Drake) must identify him before it is too late. Will Jessie save her sister's marriage, and will she find the Curare Killer before he strikes again... Romance can not be avoided, as in most thrillers, but it at least is plausible and believable. Of course, the inevitable happens, the plot does get a little predictable, nevertheless the suspense is there all the way. Definitely deserves five stars.

I ran across this book and decided to give it a shot even though I wasn't familiar with the author. I was not disappointed. The characters are wonderful and by the end of the book, you feel like you know them all as friends. There are nice twists throughout the book and it never bogs down. It's a great read. I highly recommend it.

So useful for boys who have no father figure in their lives. Almost a guide to identify willing candidates and make sure you have that vital male role model in your life! Even though I have a real, live father, (thanks Dad!) this still tugged at my heartstrings no end, especially the initial scenes when Sweeney's father is dying and he describes his sister's grief about not kissing him goodbye on the fateful day - incredible.

This account of a young man's search for someone to teach him the lessons and values that his dead father could not is a beautifully written, thoughtful book. His style of writing is straightforward and candid, as the struggles of his large, financially-strapped family are detailed. Especially well-drawn are the three men he chooses as father figures, and his strong yet vulnerable mother. It would make a good book to give to a man who may have served this function in your life, or someone in need of a father figure.

Following the devastation of September 11, 2001, the author of the remarkable new memoir, "Father Figures," wrote an online essay to remind Americans of one of the grim realities of that day: the thousands of children who were suddenly left without a parent, and what others could do to help these kids as they made their way from grief to growing up. The response felt by many to that first essay led to the writing of "Father Figures."

Kevin Sweeney knows an unfair amount about this sad subect. His own father passed away when he was three, leaving a loving but now nearly destitute mother to raise six children alone.

The Sweeneys, without a father, husband, provider, faced a grim challenge, but the young boy named Kevin was determined to work his way through the loss.

Each child who loses a parent must inevitably come to terms in his own way, but Sweeney, by some quirky inspiration that only an innocent youth could summon, came up with a novel solution. He would adopt a father; in fact, three. Secretly. Without their knowing it.

His plan was simple: without a father of his own to guide him, he knew something was missing, so to fill in the chasm he would select the best, the wisest men in his small world, watch them, learn from them, but never tell. And bask in their glow when he was brought into their gentle orbits.

His powers of observation as a child serve him well as an adult. Sweeney has rendered wonderfully a world that is so quaintly American, so hopeful, that one wishes to step back into it, if only for a sweet neighborhood picnic, or a summer pick-up baseball game with the kids. A time when an entire suburban block came out to cheer the neighbor girls on their way to the prom. That was all in the outdoor world of youth. Inside was a different story.

They were tough times growing up, and Sweeney brings alive an almost Dickensian tale of the private sacrifices his family endured for years after his father died. Nor does he pull punches when, growing up, he begins to discover some of the flaws of hiw own beloved dad. Refreshingly, Sweeney tells this story without a hint of bitterness. The optimism of a boy who is determined to survive and flourish is alive and well in the grown-up who set out to record his past.

Sweeney has done a remarkable job in showing us how a child navigates, poorly at times, the shifting tides of growing up, the yearnings and fears and disappointments. But also the joys and thrills of the little victories, like learning to hit a curve ball. He is funny, honest and blunt and does not spare even himself from his critical eye, not even when it comes to reliving those inexorably dumb decisions adolescent boys seem driven to make.

Above all, he is a gracious and grateful memoirist, and that spirit rubs off on his readers. He is grateful for these three remarkable men and how they, chosen secretly by a bright, fatherless boy, helped him steer his way. It is a wonderful tribute to them, surrogate fathers who deserve a pat on the back from all of us who read Sweeney's memoir.

Kevin Sweeney has created a whole world in Father Figures, giving us not only a strong portrait of what it is like to grow up without a father, but also of a modern Catholic childhood. His writing and insights are strong and often simply beautiful. He's a wonderful story teller and will keep any reader turning pages long into the night.

I have another, older, copy of this book and have read it several times. This was a replacement for the old one, which is worn out! If you've ever been to Baja, you will totally love hearing Jack and Denny Smith's experiences with purchasing a home there. If you haven't, you will still love hearing the story AND you will want to go there and find your own adventure.

I have traveled to Mexico for over 25 years, and own a home there. This story is only too familiar. I am buying a copy for all of my Mexico loving friends and family.

"God and Mr. Gomez", while not a recent book by a long shot is a timeless read. It is written in the hilareous style that only Jack Smith can pen. You blend in with the characters and it being a true story makes it all the more interesting and satisfying. A great read for summer, or anytime

Both Jack Smith and Mr. Gomez have passed on from this life. Thanks to Jack's gifted writing ability, you can experience the culture, beauty and patience pace still to be found in Baja California. I have been there and seen the house, the road, the federalli check point, the cliffs and the fishing village. I have had the good fortune to have stayed in a home near Jack's and met others who followed Jack's column in the LA Times during those years of construction of his "mansion". I have searched used book stores and bought on-line used copies while new books have not been published since 1997. I am so glad it is back in print so I can recommend it to my friends. Great reading and funny too!

Personally, I think the Peterson Guides are far more helpful than the Audobon publications. As mentioned in other reviews, Peterson uses illustrations organized by color and flower configuration. The illustrations are very well done. Audobon uses photos. The idea is that you match your specimen to the photo it most closely matches and follow further identification from there. The books are complimetary and work well together; however, if you can only choose one-- get the Peterson book. Overall, I have had much better success keying out plants with Peterson and repeatedly have found the plant I am looking for overlooked in the Audobon text. The truth be known, I doubt I will ever buy a Audobon plant book again-- perhaps they are better with birds.

I take this guide (and the Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers-- west) on all my field trips to identify wildflowers. Though Peterson has fewer real photos, it does have better aids to identify specific wildflowers, as it is organized by color, as well as number and types of petals. The sketches help me do a preliminary id on the wildflower.

I like the book and the topic, however the binding is is such bad shape that the book is useless in the field or for a more robust usage. Can this be fixed?

Though this title may be a little pricy, it is a must have for residents of California, Oregon, and Washington. At any rate, any family within which there is a flower collecter, should have a copy of this excellent resource. Though my family originally purchased this title because of a biology project assigned to my daughter, it has since opened up an interesting world of the natural plant life of this area and even those farther away.

Conquest,traveler,the thundering herd,student body left,student body right,the rose bowl,"Fight On!" depicts the history and tradition of USC football from the early Howard Jones years to the Pete Carrol era through the guys who covered it and the players who lived it.It shows you USC football's golden era of the 1930s to its low point of the late 90s,and to its resurgences as college footballs dominant dynasties of today's era.Not just as a USC fan,but as college fan period,"Fight On!" is a great book and shows you what college football is truly about on and off the field.

This is a great book by an even greater author Steve Bisheff. I have purchased and enjoyed all his sports books. I'm not a USC fan, but it made a great gift for all my friends that are.

Good book that captures the Trojan football history. The author has covered Trojan football for newspapers for years. I have always enjoyed his newspaper articles. The book captures a lot of those stories and USC history.
USC is a very interesting football program for many years. They have had many ups and downs over the years and the author does a good job telling the stories. It is always understood that once a Trojan you are a Trojan for life. It is a great University that shines in many thing besides football. Book is a good read.

"Fight On" is the rare sports book about a particular university that any football fan can enjoy, rather or not you have a relationship with that school. USC football came alive for me as a result of reading this book. Talk about history! It doesn't get any better than USC vs. Notre Dame. The entire history of the football program is here and the authors are to be commended for giving the casual fan, as well as USC alums and supporters, the ultimate read on USC football.

The book has great pictures and captions. However, I bought it as a part of research and would have liked to see some facts with the captions. Other than that, it was great, I came from vallejo and feel proud that there's a strong filipino community from vallejo and that it's acknowledged in this book. I would recommend it to everyone who comes from vallejo and is Filipino. I would recommend it to history teachers. It's our history.

But it does show you the history of Filipinos in Vallejo. I'm proud to be a 2nd generation Filipino American living in this city. We will continue to cultivate and flourish because of our roots and culture.

Reading this book brought back a lot of fun memories of growing up in Vallejo in the '60's and '70's. Appreciate all the efforts that were put into this book.

I enjoyed looking thru this book and seeing my father & the "Manongs" of my childhood and learning of their roles in the history of Filipino's in Vallejo. It made me proud to be a descendent of these great men that set a foundation for the "Filipino Community of Vallejo."

I grew up in So. California, so I've been fishing and diving the Pacific for many years. Now I live in Mexico and fish/dive the Gulf of California. I have never found a better field guide for these waters. I keep a copy on my boat and use it constantly.

The full-color illustrations are excellent and the descriptions are precise and accurate. It is laid out logically and is very easy to use. I've settled many arguments and won many bets on the docks with this book.

As a volunteer for the new Long Beach (CA) Aquarium of the Pacific, I needed to quickly learn about fishes of the Pacific coast and how to identify them. This book exactly suits my needs. It is interesting and informative, without being too technical. The color illustrations are beautiful. This is the perfect book for anyone who wants to learn more about Pacific coast fishes.

Fishes of the Pacific Coast is an excellent reference guide with beautiful full color illustrations of approximately 450 fish. I truly appreciated the inclusion of the fish of the upper Sea of Cortez. Small ecological and historical blurbs are fascinating. The handbook size makes it a must have on your diving or fishing boat.

I do a lot of fishing and own quite a few books on fish. I also keep a life-time fish list, a list of every species of fish I have ever caught that I was able to correctly ID. I have found Fishes of the Pacific Coast by Gar Goodson in particular to be very useful for ID purposes, but I also find it to be very good writing, highly interesting, and full of information that most other fish ID books usually lack. For example, he tells you here if a fish is considered good eating, or not. He tells you where they are found, in how deep of water, locals, tidbits of history about the fish, and also what they eat.
I recently bought two new books on fish, one about fish of the Gulf of Mexico and another on fish of the Atlantic Ocean and looking them over I kept finding things missing; I suddenly realized how much better this book of Goodson's is.
The many illustrations by the artist Phillip J. Weisgerber are all excellent and every single one of them is in color. I am a writer myself, author of some 5 published books now,... and I appreciate books that are put together with care, appreciate writing that is fun and interesting and highly informative. Fishes of the Pacific Coast is an inexpensive book and a darn good one. If you fish in the Pacific you'll want to own this book and will find that having it, and bringing it along on fishing trips will add a great deal to your pleasure. Also, I would certainly recommend this book as a present for anyone who is interested in nature,in fish, in fishing. A marvelous book and one of my favorites for sure!

When we lose just a part of our physical or mental being, we can suddenly feel that somehow we are not really ourselves anymore. Dr. Beisser had lost almost his whole physical self, but he shows us so eloquently how to overcome loss by changing his "point of view" both literally and mentally. I have gven a copy of this book to more than one person that I felt by their reading it, it could be of service in some way. I think anyone can benefit form this book, disabled or not and I highly recommend it!!

I'm 25 hispanic female that recently read this book. I just became fascinated for the optimistic attitude and spirit of life that this book has. No words to describe what has done in my life

This is an excellent true story. I think it would be very good for people in the medical and/or caregiving professions to read. Dr. Beisser is very inspirational in his journey to overcome his disability. The concepts in the book that were important to me are those feelings and experiences he relays about being dependent on physical care from nurses and doctors. Specifically, I learned alot from what he said he felt like when they cared for him grudgingly or with indifference; and also how he was affected when they simply would not listen to him. I have taken these words into my life and I always try to remember them when I am caring for someone who is dependent on me. Another important concept is the persistence he embodied. He simply never gave up, even when everybody was telling him to 'throw in the towel'. He did accomplish exactly what he set out to do, despite his obstacles. And finally, the concept of gratitude was BIG in this book. He was grateful even for his disability in the end. As amazing as this sounds, it is a pure and simple truth that we all must be grateful for absolutely everything that happens to us. Dr. Beisser shows the reader this lesson in a big way at the end of the book when he talks about his total acceptance of his circumstances and all the personal growth he has attained from those circumstances.

Arnold Beisser grew up with two life goals: To be a doctor and to be a national tennis champion. At 23, he achieved his first goal; at 24, his second. The year was 1950. Soon after his tennis victory, en route to basic training that would have brought him to Korea as an army doctor, he developed a high fever and was brought to a military hospital. Within 24 hours, he was paralyzed from the neck down. As Beisser puts it, one moment he was a doctor; suddenly he was a patient, requiring an iron lung to breathe. He had contracted polio. This outstanding book examines the funny, sad and philosophical aspects of life with a disability and its social consequences. Particularly fascinating are Beisser's stories of the stigma many people attach to disability. His courtship and marriage, as well as his career as a psychiatrist treating professional athletes, make for compelling reading. Anyone who has struggled in life - because of disability or any other tribulation - will be permanently enriched by this unforgettable memoir.

Having spent a lot of time looking for information on imaginative & fun (and sometimes luxury) travel with kids, I can tell you that this is a really unique book. It is comprehensive, carefully researched and well written with loads of practical tips. Some 'travel with kids' books might as well just be bland advertising copy, this one really provides good editorial content, with positive and critical comments. It is a pleasure to read and we will use it for a long time. Fodor's should publish more of these for other parts of the US/world.

I loved this book and would recommend it to any family wanting to travel in the northeastern United States. The writers offer tips and reviews on places of interest, resorts, and campgrounds in a wide range of prices. In fact, we have visited some of those places and found a brand new vacation prospect in Lake George which we will be trying out this summer! Definitely one of the most informative travel books on the market today -- entertaining even if you do not go to these places.

Very useful book for locals and visitors. We liked the way it gave us recommended age groups and prices. We can now plan ahead places to visit within and on the way to our next holiday area. We have also used it for planning field trips from the school into San Francisco. Easy to use and enjoyable to read.

I've been searching for a book like this for several years and haven't found one that fit the bill until now! I had a great time reading it - so well written - and got more useful information than I'll ever be able to use in one lifetime! Thanks so much to the writers and publishers!