Download or read book California written by Carey McWilliams and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1999-04-02 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edition is graced by a new foreword by Lewis Lapham.
Download or read book Factories in the Field written by Carey McWilliams and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2000-04-15 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book was the first broad exposé of the social and environmental damage inflicted by the growth of corporate agriculture in California. Factories in the Field—together with the work of Dorothea Lange, Paul Taylor, and John Steinbeck—dramatizes the misery of the dust bowl migrants hoping to find work in California agriculture. McWilliams starts with the scandals of the Spanish land grant purchases, and continues on to examine the experience of the various ethnic groups that have provided labor for California's agricultural industry—Chinese, Japanese, Mexicans, Filipinos, Armenians—the strikes, and the efforts to organize labor unions
Download or read book The Great Exception written by Jefferson Cowie and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2017-04-18 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the New Deal was a unique historical moment and what this reveals about U.S. politics, economics, and culture Where does the New Deal fit in the big picture of American history? What does it mean for us today? What happened to the economic equality it once engendered? In The Great Exception, Jefferson Cowie provides new answers to these important questions. In the period between the Great Depression and the 1970s, he argues, the United States government achieved a unique level of equality, using its considerable resources on behalf of working Americans in ways that it had not before and has not since. If there is to be a comparable battle for collective economic rights today, Cowie argues, it needs to build on an understanding of the unique political foundation for the New Deal. Anyone who wants to come to terms with the politics of inequality in the United States will need to read The Great Exception.
Download or read book American Prophet written by Peter Richardson and published by University of California Press. This book was released on 2019-03-05 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A fascinating portrait of activism deepened and sustained by Herculean labors of research and investigation.”—The Nation Historian Kevin Starr described Carey McWilliams as "the finest nonfiction writer on California—ever" and "the state's most astute political observer." But as Peter Richardson argues, McWilliams was also one of the nation's most versatile and productive public intellectuals of his time. Richardson's absorbing and elegant biography traces McWilliams's extraordinary life and career. Drawing from a wide range of sources, it explores his childhood on a Colorado cattle ranch, his early literary journalism in Los Angeles, his remarkable legal and political activism, his stint in state government, the explosion of first-rate books between 1939 and 1950, and his editorial leadership at The Nation. Along the way, it also documents McWilliams's influence on a wide range of key figures, including Cesar Chavez, Hunter S. Thompson, Mike Davis, screenwriter Robert Towne, playwright Luis Valdez, and historian Patricia Limerick.
Download or read book State of Exception written by Giorgio Agamben and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-07-18 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two months after the attacks of 9/11, the Bush administration, in the midst of what it perceived to be a state of emergency, authorized the indefinite detention of noncitizens suspected of terrorist activities and their subsequent trials by a military commission. Here, distinguished Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben uses such circumstances to argue that this unusual extension of power, or "state of exception," has historically been an underexamined and powerful strategy that has the potential to transform democracies into totalitarian states. The sequel to Agamben's Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life, State of Exception is the first book to theorize the state of exception in historical and philosophical context. In Agamben's view, the majority of legal scholars and policymakers in Europe as well as the United States have wrongly rejected the necessity of such a theory, claiming instead that the state of exception is a pragmatic question. Agamben argues here that the state of exception, which was meant to be a provisional measure, became in the course of the twentieth century a normal paradigm of government. Writing nothing less than the history of the state of exception in its various national contexts throughout Western Europe and the United States, Agamben uses the work of Carl Schmitt as a foil for his reflections as well as that of Derrida, Benjamin, and Arendt. In this highly topical book, Agamben ultimately arrives at original ideas about the future of democracy and casts a new light on the hidden relationship that ties law to violence.
Download or read book Coast of Dreams written by Kevin Starr and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-06-22 with total page 802 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this extraordinary book, Kevin Starr–widely acknowledged as the premier historian of California, the scope of whose scholarship the Atlantic Monthly has called “breathtaking”–probes the possible collapse of the California dream in the years 1990—2003. In a series of compelling chapters, Coast of Dreams moves through a variety of topics that show the California of the last decade, when the state was sometimes stumbling, sometimes humbled, but, more often, flourishing with its usual panache. From gang violence in Los Angeles to the spectacular rise–and equally spectacular fall–of Silicon Valley, from the Northridge earthquake to the recall of Governor Gray Davis, Starr ranges over myriad facts, anecdotes, news stories, personal impressions, and analyses to explore a time of unprecedented upheaval in California. Coast of Dreams describes an exceptional diversity of people, cultures, and values; an economy that mirrors the economic state of the nation; a battlefield where industry and the necessities of infrastructure collide with the inherent demands of a unique and stunning natural environment. It explores California politics (including Arnold Schwarzenegger’s election in the 2003 recall), the multifaceted business landscape, and controversial icons such as O. J. Simpson. “Historians of the future,” Starr writes, “will be able to see with more certainty whether or not the period 1990-2003 was not only the end of one California but the beginning of another”; in the meantime, he gives a picture of the place and time in a book at once sweeping and riveting in its details, deeply informed, engagingly personal, and altogether fascinating.
Download or read book Reign of Error written by Diane Ravitch and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2014-08-26 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From one of the foremost authorities on education in the United States, former U.S. assistant secretary of education, an incisive, comprehensive look at today’s American school system that argues against those who claim it is broken and beyond repair; an impassioned but reasoned call to stop the privatization movement that is draining students and funding from our public schools. In a chapter-by-chapter breakdown she puts forth a plan for what can be done to preserve and improve our public schools. She makes clear what is right about U.S. education, how policy makers are failing to address the root causes of educational failure, and how we can fix it.
Download or read book California Bones written by Greg van Eekhout and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2014-06-10 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Daniel Blackland was six, he ingested his first bone fragment, a bit of kraken spine plucked out of the sand during a visit with his demanding, brilliant, and powerful magician father, Sebastian. When Daniel was twelve, he watched Sebastian die at the hands of the Hierarch of Southern California, devoured for the heightened magic layered deep within his bones. Now, years later, Daniel is a petty thief with a forged identity. Hiding amid the crowds in Los Angeles—the capital of the Kingdom of Southern California—Daniel is trying to go straight. But his crime-boss uncle has a heist he wants Daniel to perform: break into the Hierarch's storehouse of magical artifacts and retrieve Sebastian's sword, an object of untold power. For this dangerous mission, Daniel will need a team he can rely on, so he brings in his closest friends from his years in the criminal world. There's Moth, who can take a bullet and heal in mere minutes. Jo Alverado, illusionist. The multitalented Cassandra, Daniel's ex. And, new to them all, the enigmatic, knowledgeable Emma, with her British accent and her own grudge against the powers-that-be. The stakes are high, and the stage is set for a showdown that might just break the magic that protects a long-corrupt regime. Extravagant and yet moving, Greg van Eekhout's California Bones is an epic adventure set in a city of canals and secrets and casual brutality--different from the world we know, yet familiar and true. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Download or read book Fool s Paradise written by Dean Stewart and published by Heyday Books. This book was released on 2001 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Carey McWilliams (1905-1980) -- lawyer, activist, historian, editor of The Nation for two decades -- wrote the history of California as no one else could, or would. Alternately scathing, amusing, and disturbing, his sharp and literate accounts shatter the myths meant to obscure the real workings of the state, revealing always the relationship between the exploited and those who would exploit them.Readers will find that McWilliams's writing on history and the issues of his day is still relevant -- in fact, it is the basis for the field that we now call California studies
Download or read book Assembling California written by John McPhee and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At various times in a span of fifteen years, John McPhee made geological field surveys in the company of Eldridge Moores, a tectonicist at the University of California at Davis. The result of these trips is Assembling California, a cross-section in human and geologic time, from Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada through the golden foothills of the Mother Lode and across the Great Central Valley to the wine country of the Coast Ranges, the rock of San Francisco, and the San Andreas family of faults. The two disparate time scales occasionally intersect—in the gold disruptions of the nineteenth century no less than in the earthquakes of the twentieth—and always with relevance to a newly understood geologic history in which half a dozen large and separate pieces of country are seen to have drifted in from far and near to coalesce as California. McPhee and Moores also journeyed to remote mountains of Arizona and to Cyprus and northern Greece, where rock of the deep-ocean floor has been transported into continental settings, as it has in California. Global in scope and a delight to read, Assembling California is a sweeping narrative of maps in motion, of evolving and dissolving lands.
Download or read book A Dangerous Place written by Marc Reisner and published by Penguin Books. This book was released on 2004-07-27 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Writing with a signature command of his subject and with compelling resonance, Marc Reisner leads us through California’s improbable rise from a largely desert land to the most populated state in the nation, fueled by an economic engine more productive than all of Africa. Reisner believes that the success of this last great desert civilization hinges on California’s denial of its own inescapable fate: Both the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas sit astride two of the most violently seismic zones on the planet. The earthquakes that have already rocked California were, according to Reisner, a mere prologue to a future cataclysm that will result in immense destruction. Concluding with a hypothetical but chillingly realistic description of what such a disaster would look like, A Dangerous Place mixes science, history, and cultural commentary in a haunting work of profound importance.
Download or read book California Politics written by Renee B. Van Vechten and published by CQ Press. This book was released on 2018-01-12 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A thorough yet concise overview of California institutions, politics, and initiative process, grounded in an overview of California’s political culture." —Ronnee Schreiber, San Diego State University The thoroughly revised Fifth Edition of California Politics: A Primer concisely explains how California’s history, political culture, rules, and institutions come together to shape politics today and how they will determine the state of affairs tomorrow. Author Renee B. Van Vechten begins with a brief political history of California, then walks through direct democracy, the legislature, executive branch, and court system. She covers local government and concludes with a discussion of the state’s budget process, campaigns and elections, political engagement, and policy issues. From the structure of the state′s government to its local representatives, policies, and voter participation, California Politics: A Primer delivers the concepts and details students need. New to the Fifth Edition An emphasis on California’s place in the federal system provides students with context around the state leadership′s resistance to Trump administration policies on things like California’s sanctuary state status, immigration, the environment, and more. Increased coverage of policy topics throughout the book helps students see how recent policy has impacted issues such as greenhouse gas emissions regulations, attempted "fixes" for water- and drought-related issues, new transportation projects, and prison reform. Extended discussions of elections-related innovations introduce students to recent elections-related topics such as the Top-Two Primary, efforts to increase voter registration, all vote-by-mail elections, and redistricting. New coverage of the "Five Californias" gives students a better understanding of California’s political geography and how distinct segments of the population are primed for political engagement or disaffection. New lists of key terms with clear definitions at the end of each chapter enable students to review the content more effectively. New and updated maps and graphics depict important topics such as California’s newly proposed high-speed rail project. Instructors, sign in at study.sagepub.com/california5e to access test banks built on Bloom’s Taxonomy; editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides; a set of all the graphics from the text; and more!
Download or read book Great Exception written by and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book From Mission to Microchip written by Fred Glass and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2016-06-28 with total page 542 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is no better time than now to consider the labor history of the Golden State. While other states face declining union enrollment rates and the rollback of workersÕ rights, California unions are embracing working immigrants, and voters are protecting core worker rights. WhatÕs the difference? California has held an exceptional place in the imagination of Americans and immigrants since the Gold Rush, which saw the first of many waves of working people moving to the state to find work. From Mission to Microchip unearths the hidden stories of these people throughout CaliforniaÕs history. The difficult task of the stateÕs labor movement has been to overcome perceived barriers such as race, national origin, and language to unite newcomers and natives in their shared interest. As chronicled in this comprehensive history, workers have creatively used collective bargaining, politics, strikes, and varied organizing strategies to find common ground among CaliforniaÕs diverse communities and achieve a measure of economic fairness and social justice. This is an indispensible book for students and scholars of labor history and history of the West, as well as labor activists and organizers.Ê
Download or read book A California State of Mind written by Mark Baldassare and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2002-10-08 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A thought-provoking analysis by one of the most astute analysts of the California scene."—U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein "If you care about the direction in which America is headed, then you must pay attention to California. To understand California today and decades from now, you must read Baldassare’s masterful assessment. He knows the issues and he takes you inside the head of California voters—old, young, Latino, white, he talks to them all. And you can forget your assumptions: Baldassare proves the stereotypes wrong."—Judy Woodruff, Anchor, CNN’s Inside Politics "Probing the social and political mindset of California offers a shortcut into the American future. No one knows California better in this regard than Baldassare, and never has he been more on top of his game than in this landmark study of California today—and America tomorrow."—Dr. Kevin Starr, State Librarian of California "Many people speculate about the expanding social and political clout of Latinos in California, but Baldassare uses solid evidence to reveal what's driving this dynamic population—from unique political attitudes to highest-level optimism. Read this book and you'll understand the profound influence that growing Latino participation will have on the Golden State's future."—Monica Lozano, President, La Opinion "Baldassare has probed as deeply and wisely as anyone ever has into that most fascinating and, at times, most enigmatic of public phenomena, the behavior of the California voter. With A California State of Mind, he has made an indispensable contribution to our understanding of the politics of our time."—Peter Schrag, author of Paradise Lost: California’s Experience, America’s Future "An invaluable book for policy makers in California and nationwide. Baldassare both provides a detailed and thoughtful analysis of the disconnect between Californians and their government and buttresses his argument with a wealth of data. Anyone interested in improving our political life will want to own this book."—Dan Yankelovich, Chairman, Public Agenda and Viewpoint Learning "No one knows how Californians think about politics better than Baldassare does. Anyone interested in California politics should read this book."—Jack Peltason, coauthor of Government by the People and Understanding the Constitution "Backed by stunningly thorough documentation, this book is an essential and sobering primer to understanding why California really is different."—Tom Goldstein, editor of Killing the Messenger "Baldassare has long been one of the most perceptive analysts of politics and public opinion in California. His new book is indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand the changing political landscape, and the subtle shadings of public attitudes, in the nation’s largest state."—Ronald Brownstein, political columnist, Los Angeles Times
Download or read book Where I Was From written by Joan Didion and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-01-26 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling, award-winning author of The Year of Magical Thinking: In this "arresting amalgam of memoir and historical timeline” (The Baltimore Sun), Didion—a native Californian—reassesses parts of her life, her work, her history, and ours. Didion applies her scalpel-like intelligence to California's ethic of ruthless self-sufficiency in order to examine that ethic’s often tenuous relationship to reality. Combining history and reportage, memoir and literary criticism, Where I Was From explores California’s romances with land and water; its unacknowledged debts to railroads, aerospace, and big government; the disjunction between its code of individualism and its fetish for prisons. Whether she is writing about her pioneer ancestors or privileged sexual predators, robber barons or writers (not excluding herself), Didion is an unparalleled observer, and this book is at once intellectually provocative and deeply personal.
Download or read book Nathan Turner s I Love California written by Nathan Turner and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2018-04-10 with total page 604 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enjoy the California lifestyle with recipes, stylish interiors, and entertaining tips: “A must-have for locals and visitors alike.” —Architectural Digest Designer Nathan Turner’s style is synonymous with the easy glam of California living. His first book introduced readers to his casual American style and chic design sense. Now, he’s written a love letter to his home state in I Love California. This book is a journey up and down Highway 1 that takes you from the redwoods of northern San Francisco to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada to the beaches of Southern California. Simple recipes and tips for entertaining are featured alongside never-before-seen interiors. Lavish photographs capture the homes, people, and food of each unique location in glorious, sun-drenched detail. This book even includes Turner’s signature recipes for California comfort food, like his family’s Cioppino, Marinated Tri-tip Steak, Mexican Chocolate Cake, and more. I Love California is a celebration of the Golden State of Mind—for those interested in cooking, entertaining, décor, or just a little getaway to the sun-dappled coast.
