• The Browns of California

  • The Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation
  • By: Miriam Pawel
  • Narrated by: Christina Delaine
  • Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (24 ratings)

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The Browns of California

By: Miriam Pawel
Narrated by: Christina Delaine
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Publisher's summary

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist's panoramic history of California and its impact on the nation, from the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley - told through the lens of the family dynasty that led the state for nearly a quarter century.

In The Browns of California, journalist and scholar Miriam Pawel weaves a narrative history that spans four generations, from August Schuckman, the Prussian immigrant who crossed the Plains in 1852 and settled on a northern California ranch, to his great-grandson Jerry Brown, who reclaimed the family homestead 140 years later. Through the prism of their lives, we gain an essential understanding of California and an appreciation of its importance.

This book gives new insights to those steeped in California history, offers a corrective for those who confuse stereotypes and legend for fact, and opens new vistas for listeners familiar with only the sketchiest outlines of a place habitually viewed from afar with a mix of envy and awe, disdain, and fascination.

©2018 Miriam Pawel (P)2019 Tantor

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History through Biography

This book combines great history with great writing. I've lived in Northern California for many years. I thought its youngest governor, Jerry Brown, was smart and cute, and its oldest, Jerry Brown, a leader with integrity and vision. Good to know more about a politician like that, especially these last few years . It was interesting to learn about the bright women, hard-working immigrants, and spiritual revolutionaries who shaped his values. Bravo Miriam Pawel, the author, and Christina Delaine, the narrator.

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really dry, bogged down with uninteresting detail

i had hoped it would explore more of the history of california during the quarter century that the Browns were governors. it did to some extent, but i came away from it unfulfilled. i consider that the oddest thing was that jerry brown was governor when i was in college and also when became eligible for medicare!
narration could have been a lot better.

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