Synopses & Reviews
"In this blockbuster biography, Abrahamson brings the business history of Southern California--and the national postwar housing boom!--to new levels of scholarly presentation.
Building Home offers readers the opportunity to examine the federally managed housing economy, now in disarray, at its highpoint of efficiency, as seen through the flamboyant figure of one of its most successful
Mad Men practitioners!"and#151;Kevin Starr, University of Southern California
"Eric John Abrahamson has accomplished a great feat: Using interviews and detective work in the archives, he chronicles the personality and vision of Howard Ahmanson, a man as elusive in the written records as he was imposing in the memory of those who knew him. Abrahamson tells an impressive history of Ahmansonand#8217;s innovations in the savings-and-loan business, revealing how the man and his company left a long-lasting influence on the cultural as well as business landscape of southern California."and#151;Adam Arenson, author of The Great Heart of the Republic: St. Louis and the Cultural Civil War
and#147;Eric Abrahamson takes us back to an earlier era for America and Southern California when dreams were realized not only for a few but literally for millions. The optimism and nerve of howard ahmanson's times are displayed with balance and critical insight. But it's clear that we have lost much of our focus on home and family. The question for us is can we somehow restore the American dream before it devolves into the mists of history?and#8221;and#151;Joel Kotkin, the author of The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, The City: A Global History
"Howard Ahmanson's gifts to culture in Los Angeles were enormous. As the sole owner of Home Savings, the nation's largest savings and loan, Ahmanson became one of the richest men in California by catering to middle-class dreams of home ownership. During his lifetime, he played a key role in funding the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Music Center, the Otis Art Institute and other civic organizations. With his endowment of the Ahmanson Foundation, he created an institution that provides $40 million a year in grants to benefit education, social services, healthcare and the arts in Los Angeles. Yet to most Angelenos, Ahmanson was and remains a mystery. Eric John Abrahamson's biography reveals the man and places him within the broader economic, political and cultural streams of mid-century America and Southern California."and#151;Stephen D. Rountree, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Music Center
Review
"Booker gives the city a fresh face; the familiar becomes strange and wonderful. . . . Down by the Bay is a genuine pearl in the sea of contemporary environmental writing."
Review
"The history of San Francisco is not only the story of a great world city, it's also the story of a great body of water that both supported and was impacted by rapid urban growth. In his natural (and human) history of San Francisco Bay, author Matthew Morse Booker focuses on waterfront and tidal wetlands. It is there that decades of human activity, such as dredging and upriver hydraulic mining, have reshaped, polluted and irrevocably altered the marine environment."
Review
and#8220;An impressive biography.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Itand#8217;s very easy to highly recommend Building Home . . . an interesting and uplifting read.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;At heart, this is about a son surpassing his goal to earn back a family company lost when his father died, but Abrahamson's dense analyses make this study relevant to today's debates about how to fairly regulate the financial marketplace.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Despite the nationand#8217;s now-reluctant familiarity with mortgage finance, it can be a hard topic to warm up to. Reading Building Home, one not only warms to the subject, but also to the argument that big businesses and the government can work together for the public benefit.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Enjoyable storytelling.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Ahmanson (who died in 1968) is rememberedand#8212;if at alland#8212;through the cultural institutions he supported: the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Music Center. Abrahamson makes a compelling case that Ahmanson ought to be better rememberedand#8212;positively and negativelyand#8212;as a man who made much of Los Angeles.and#8221;
Review
"[Abrahamson] does an impressive job under difficult circumstances of documenting Ahmanson's life--warts and all. . . . Fascinating reading."
Synopsis
There are moments when we forget how fortunate we are to have the California coast. The state is home to 1,100 miles of uninterrupted coastline defined by long stretches of beach and jagged rocky cliffs. Coastal Sage achronicles the career and accomplishments of Peter Douglas, the longest-serving, legendary executive director of the California Coastal Commission. For nearly 3 decades, Douglas fought to keep the California coast public, prevent overdevelopment, and safeguard habitat. In doing so, Douglas emerged as a leading figure in the contemporary American environmental movement and influenced public conservation efforts across the country. He co-authored California's foundational laws pertaining to shoreline management and conservation: Proposition 20 and the California Coastal Act. Many of the political battles both won and lost to save the coast from over-development and for public access are for the first time revealed in this study of the leader who was at once a visionary, warrior, and coastal sage.
Synopsis
San Francisco Bay is the largest and most productive estuary on the Pacific Coast of North America. It is also home to the oldest and densest urban settlements in the American West. Focusing on human inhabitation of the Bay since Ohlone times, Down by the Bay reveals the ongoing role of nature in shaping that history. From birds to oyster pirates, from gold miners to farmers, from salt ponds to ports, this is the first history of the San Francisco Bay and Delta as both a human and natural landscape. It offers invaluable context for current discussions over the best management and use of the Bay in the face of sea level rise.
Synopsis
and#147;San Francisco Bay is the largest estuary on the Pacific coast of North America. Along with the adjoining delta formed by the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, it also forms the solar plexus of California's complex, fragile plumbing system. In this incisive and original work, Matthew Booker vividly recounts the successive waves of interaction between people and place that have molded--and imperiled--the modern Bay. This is rich, cutting-edge environmental history at its best, and a compelling read, too.and#8221; and#151;David M. Kennedy, author of
Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945"...A thorough and highly engaging account of the use and development of the Bay shoreline and intertidal zone, a region often understudied by cultural and ecological historians. This ecologically grounded narrative is an important contribution to our understanding of the development trajectory of the region."and#151;Robin Grossinger, Senior Scientist, San Francisco Estuary Institute
and#147;I see San Francisco Bay from my house everyday, but I no longer look at it in the same way. Matthew Bookerand#8217;s Down by the Bay is one of those books that transforms the familiar. He writes lucidly and eloquently about a forgotten past and an often hidden landscape that, once recognized, traces a possible future.and#8221; and#151;Richard White, author of The Middle Ground: Indians Empires and Republics in the Great Lakes Region
Synopsis
Crowded into the beautiful, narrow strip at the edge of the ocean, the large number of people who live near California's dynamic coastline often have little awareness of the hazardsand#151;waves, tides, wind, storms, rain, and runoffand#151;that erode and impact the coast and claim property on a regular basis. This up-to-date, authoritative, and easy-to-use book, a geological profile of the California coast from Mexico to the Oregon border, describes the landforms and processes that shape the coastline and beaches, documents how erosion has affected development, and discusses the options that are available for dealing with coastal hazards and geologic instability.
A completely revised and updated edition of Living with the California Coast (1985), this book features hundreds of new photographs and the latest data on human activity on the coast, on climate change, on rising seas levels, and on coastal erosion and protection. With its dramatic photographs and mile-by-mile maps, Living with the Changing California Coast will be an essential resource for those intending to buy or build along the coast, those who need specific information about various coastal regions, and those who are seeking information about how this remarkable coastline has evolved.
*279 photographs portray natural coastal features and processes and illustrate many instances of what can happen to buildings on the coast
*81 maps, covering the entire coast, detail types of coastal landforms, coastline erosion rates, locations of seawalls or armor, and other specific areas of interest
*Offers specific advice for homebuyers,residents, and developers on which areas to avoid, on what safety measures should be taken, and on what danger signals should be heeded
Synopsis
"The goal of
The Changing California Coast is to provide perspective on the realities of living on the California coast, its challenges and issues, and the nitty gritty of what to consider before buying or building a house. The book achieves this aim by providing a tutorial on the potential hazards of coastal living, and systematically covering the coast from border to border. A must read for anyone whose idea of the coast is based on too many episodes of Baywatch."and#151;Paul D. Komar, author of
Beach Processes and Sedimentation"California's coast is a living landscape endlessly besieged by waves and tides, upland erosion, seismic forces, and human efforts to secure land's edge in place. A geography of awesome beauty and constant conflict, the coast is where people want to be.and#160;Living with the Changing California Coast is a must read for property owners, developers, investors, public officials, and activists who care about our coast's future. This book lays out the consequences of our tendency to wall up the coast and what we might do to reverse the trend. A most thorough, alarming and compelling tale of what is happening to our shoreline. Will policy makers listen?"and#151;Peter Douglas, Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission
Synopsis
Building Home is an innovative biography that weaves together three engrossing stories. It is one part corporate and industrial history, using the evolution of mortgage finance as a way to understand larger dynamics in the nationand#145;s political economy. It is another part urban history, since the extraordinary success of the savings and loan business in Los Angeles reflects much of the cultural and economic history of Southern California. Finally, it is a personal story, a biography of one of the nationand#145;s most successful entrepreneurs of the managed economy and#151;Howard Fieldstad Ahmanson. Eric John Abrahamson deftly connects these three strands as he chronicles Ahmansonand#8217;s rise against the background of the postwar housing boom and the growth of L.A. during the same period.
As a sun-tanned yachtsman and a cigar-smoking financier, the Omaha-born Ahmanson was both unique and representative of many of the business leaders of his era. He did not control a vast infrastructure like a railroad or an electrical utility. Nor did he build his wealth by pulling the financial levers that made possible these great corporate endeavors. Instead, he made a fortune by enabling the middle-class American dream. With his great wealth, he contributed substantially to the expansion of the cultural institutions in L.A. As we struggle to understand the current mortgage-led financial crisis, Ahmansonand#8217;s life offers powerful insights into an era when the widespread hope of homeownership was just beginning to take shape.
Synopsis
Historical accounts of California tell of flocks of birds so dense in the sky that they cast a shadow on the ground, and of thunderous rivers of geese, ducks, and swans moving down the state to the lagoons of Mexico and beyond. Today, citizens and travelers in California take for granted skies empty of almost everything but the contrails of airplanes. But far more than wildlife is missing from California today. In text and photographs,
Farewell, Promised Land documents the stark contrast between the California landscape of this past and what it has become, as it traces the evolution of the California environment, and looks ahead to what the future holds.
When writer Gray Brechin and photographer Robert Dawson received the 1992 Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize from Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies, they began a five-year project of driving and flying around California to record the present state of its environment. This book is the result of that collaboration. In six thematic chapters dealing with Loss, Mining, Farming, Cities, Energy, and Health, the authors provide a sobering look at California's environment. A concluding chapter introduces individuals and organizations now attempting to redeem the state from its present course.
Farewell, Promised Land is a superb vehicle for communicating the causes, context, and seriousness of environmental and social disruptions in California. It is unique in that it successfully documents topics such as energy, health, and cities, and brings this information directly to bear on environmental issues. Appealing to the intellect as well as to our sense of aesthetics, Brechin and Dawson provide a timely wake-up call in this brave, honest, and straightforward assessment of California's fate.
Synopsis
"Don't mistake the message of this sad and powerful book. After 150 years of pillage and pollution, it is time to fight like hell for California."and#151;Mike Davis, author of
City of Quartz"A heart rendingly splendid book for all who love California. It combines stunning photographic documentation of the trashing of the state with an eloquent, melancholy text that still offers guarded hopes for a green future."and#151;Ernest Callenbach, author of Ecotopia
Synopsis
It is now commonplace to say that the future happens first in California, and this book, the first biography of legendary governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, tells the story of the pivotal era when that idea became a reality. Set against the riveting historical landscape of the late fifties and sixties, the book offers astute insights into history as well a fascinating glimpse of those who charted its courseand#151;including Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, and the Brown family dynasty. Ethan Rarick mines an impressive array of untapped sourcesand#151;such as Pat Brown's diary and love letters to his wifeand#151;to tell the unforgettable story of a true mover-and-shaker within his fascinating and turbulent political arena.
California Rising illuminates a singular moment in time with surprising intimacy. John Kennedy laughs with Pat Brown. Richard Nixon offers the governor a schemer's deal. Lyndon Johnson sweet-talks the governor on the phone and then ridicules him behind his back. And as context for the human drama, key events of the era unfold in gripping prose. There is Brown's struggle with the fate of Caryl Chessman, the convicted kidnapper who gained international attention by writing best-selling books on death row. There is the tale of intrigue and politics surrounding the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1964, and the violence and horror of the Watts Riots in 1965.
Through the story of the life and times of Pat Brown, we witness an extraordinary period that changed the entire country's view of itself and its most famous state.
Synopsis
"Edmund G. (Pat) Brown has long been considered one of the two or three most effective governors of California. Thanks to this exhaustively researched and vividly written study by Ethan Rarick, we can now grasp the true strength and charisma of this extraordinary governor and the highpoint of public value and performance he orchestrated in the creation of contemporary California. A seasoned reporter, Rarick left everything behind to research and write this book. He made the right decision."and#151;Kevin Starr, University Professor of History, University of Southern California
"This is an impressive and important work--exhaustively researched, elegantly written. It's not only the biography of the central figure in modern California history, Governor Pat Brown, but the story of a crucial era in California and its place in the nation's imagination. California Rising is a major document in our understanding of the man and the place he helped make."and#151;Peter Schrag, former editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee and author of Paradise Lost: California's Experience, America's Future
"Ethan Rarick has written a shrewd and lively account of the life of Pat Brown, California's most constructive governor in the last half-century. What a pleasant way to learn about the history of the golden state during the key period in which state government was confronted with the economic and social challenges of rapid modernization. A very impressive book."and#151;Nelson W. Polsby, Heller Professor of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley
"An important and enjoyable book."and#151;Bruce Cain, coeditor of Voting at the Political Fault Line
"Ethan Rarick's narrative of the life of Pat Brown is a fascinating look at the maturation of a political animal. We follow closely as Brown gladhands his way up California's political ladder and becomes his state's most progressive governor. In this meticulous study, Rarick fleshes out Brown's battles with Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan throughout the 1960s. California Rising profits from Rarick's broad understanding of California and his constructive use of Brown's personal notes and correspondence."and#151;Douglas Brinkley, author of Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War
About the Author
Robert Dawson is coauthor of The Great Central Valley: California's Heartland (California, 1993); his work has been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. His photographs of the American West have been recognized by a Visual Arts Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He teaches photography at San Jose State University and at Stanford University. Gray Brechin is a historical geographer and has authored articles on the environment and environmental history. He has a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Berkeley.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION-A Perspective on the coast of California- Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy
2. THE EVOLUTION OF THE CALIFORNIA COAST - Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy
3. WEATHER, CLIMATE CHANGE, SEA LEVEL AND THE COASTLINE - Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy
4. UNDERSTANDING THE SHORELINE - Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy
5. THE EROSION OF THE COASTLINE- Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy
6. BUILDING OR BUYING ON THE COAST - Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy
7. RESPONDING TO COASTAL HAZARDS- Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy
8. CALIFORNIAand#8217;S COASTAL HAZARDS: THEORY AND PRACTICE
Charles Lester
9. THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST: THE OREGON BORDER TO CAPE MENDOCINO
Lauret Savoy, Gary Griggs, and Derek Rust
10. POINT DELGADA TO POINT ARENA
Dorothy Merritts, Lauret Savoy, Gary Griggs and Robert Walker
11. POINT ARENA TO SAN FRANCISCO
Lauret Savoy, Dorothy Merritts, Karen Grove and Robert Walker
12. THE SAN FRANCISCO COASTLINE
Gary Griggs, Kim Fulton and Lauret Savoy
13. SAN FRANCISCO TO ANO NUEVO
Jerry Weber, Gary Griggs, Ken LaJoie and Scott Mathieson
14. ANO NUEVO TO THE MONTEREY PENINSULA
Gary Griggs and Kiki Patsch
15. THE MONTEREY PENINSULA TO MORRO BAY
Cheryl Hapke
16. MORRO BAY TO POINT CONCEPTION
Antony Orme
17. POINT CONCEPTION TO RINCON POINT
Robert Norris and Kiki Patsch
18. RINCON POINT TO SANTA MONICA
Antony Orme
19. THE COAST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: SANTA MONICA TO DANA POINT
Douglas Sherman and Bernard Pipkin
20. DANA POINT TO THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER.
Reinhard Flick
APPENDIX A: References
APPENDIX B: Geologic Time Line