American California

California is the most multicultural state in the nation. As John Mack Faragher argues in this concise and lively history, that is nothing new. California's natural variety has always supported diversity, including Native peoples speaking dozens of distinct languages, Spanish and Mexican colonists, gold seekers from all corners of the globe, and successive migrant waves from the eastern states, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Beautifully crafted and elegantly written, Faragher tells the stories of a colorful cast of characters, some famous, others mostly unknown.

Between 1846 and 1873, California's Indian population plunged from perhaps 150,000 to 30,000. Benjamin Madley is the first historian to uncover the full extent of the slaughter, the involvement of state and federal officials, the taxpayer dollars that supported the violence, indigenous resistance, who did the killing, and why the killings ended. This deeply researched book is a comprehensive and chilling history of an American genocide.

John Muir was an early proponent of a view we still hold today—that much of California was pristine, untouched wilderness before the arrival of Europeans. But as this book demonstrates, what Muir was really seeing when he admired the grand vistas of Yosemite and the gold and purple flowers carpeting the Central Valley were the fertile gardens of the Sierra Miwok and Valley Yokuts Indians, modified and made productive by centuries of harvesting, tilling, sowing, pruning, and burning.

Charlie Trust is a burned-out lawyer who never wants to see another case, but there’s still one client he can’t refuse. And the problem is, that client just might be a killer. In Malibu, everyone is watching. But nobody is telling the truth. Los Angeles, 1992 After eight soul-crushing years working as a divorce lawyer in Virginia, Charlie Trust has left the law behind. Burned out, disenchanted, and done with clients forever, he’s living in a borrowed house on Malibu’s Carbon Beach. All he wants to do now is drink beer on the deck, watch the sun set into the Pacific, and wonder what ...

A historical non-fiction book set in California during its transformation from indigenous tribes to American statehood. Discover the rich tapestry of California's past in "Tribes and Priests Early California." This captivating exploration takes you from the ancient traditions of indigenous tribes through the tumultuous changes brought by Spanish colonization and the American gold rush. Experience the vibrant history that shaped California's unique identity, filled with ambition, cultural clashes, and the relentless pursuit of economic prosperity. The narrative intricately weaves together ...

Steven Drokharis has built an empire that stretches across the United States and around the world. He seems unstoppable - a force of nature and a creature of wrath. But now, he’ll have to deal with something deadlier than enemies...Dragonsoul allies. Exiled from America and on the run, Steven and his escort of beautiful women will have to unravel the secrets of the past to save their future.

A revelatory, magisterial biography of Sam Shepard—the dark, rugged genius of modern American theater and film, “the poet laureate of America’s emotional badlands” (Jack Kroll). Sam Shepard was a true American original. A theater and film icon who lived life on a mythic scale, Shepard...

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting To Exhale is back with the inspiring story of a woman who shakes things up in her life to find greater meaning. In I Almost Forgot About You, Dr. Georgia Young's wonderful life--great friends, family, and...

Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide. Her life story is told in the documentary film And Still I Rise, as seen on PBS’s American Masters. Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird...

The California sunshine’s not quite so bright for three sisters who get dumped in the same week… Finola, a popular LA morning-show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by the news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to...

J. G. Boswell was the biggest farmer in America. He built a secret empire while thumbing his nose at nature, politicians, labor unions, and every journalist who ever tried to lift the veil on the ultimate "factory in the fields". The King of California is the previously untold account of how a Georgia slave-owning family migrated to California in the early 1920s, drained one of America 's biggest lakes in an act of incredible hubris and carved out the richest cotton empire in the world.

ONE OF THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER'S 100 GREATEST FILM BOOKS OF ALL TIME The definitive portrait of one of the most important cultural figures in American history: Walt Disney. Walt Disney was a true visionary whose desire for escape, iron determination and obsessive perfectionism transformed...

Winner of the Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature! * "Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant...

Embark on an Unforgettable 2,650-Mile Adventure—Don’t Wait to Join the Journey! Step into the wild with Joey Shonka’s *The Pacific Crest Trail: An American Nomad", a gripping memoir from the acclaimed Triple Crown of Trails series. This electrifying narrative thrusts you onto the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), a 2,650-mile odyssey from Mexico to Canada, weaving through California’s scorching deserts, Oregon’s lush forests, and Washington’s towering peaks. Shonka, a seasoned adventurer and biochemist, vividly recounts his transformative trek, where every step tests resilience and ...

Most California histories begin with the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in the late 18th century and conveniently skip to the Gold Rush of 1849. Noticeably absent from these stories are the perspectives and experiences of the people who lived on the land long before European settlers arrived. Historian William Bauer seeks to correct that oversight through an innovative approach that tells California history strictly through Native perspectives.

JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE A sharply crafted and unflinchingly honest memoir about gangs, drugs, cooking, and living life on the line—both on the streets and in the kitchen—from one of the most exciting stars in the food world today “Beautiful. Moving. Inspiring. Get it.”—Chris...

In the second half of the 19th century, the Euro-American citizenry of California carried out mass genocide against the Native population of their state, using the processes and mechanisms of democracy to secure land and resources for themselves and their private interests. The murder, rape, and enslavement of thousands of Native people were legitimized by notions of democracy - in this case mob rule.

THE BASIS FOR THE MAJOR 6-PART HBO DOCUMENTARY SERIES #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Washington Post | Maureen Corrigan, NPR | Paste | Seattle Times | Entertainment Weekly | Esquire | Slate | Buzzfeed | Jezebel | Philadelphia Inquirer | Publishers...

Easy Rawlins, L.A.'s most reluctant detective, comes home one day to find Easter, the daughter of his friend Chrismas Black, left on his doorstep. Easy knows that this could only mean that the ex-marine Black is probably dead, or will be soon. Easter's appearance is only the beginning, as Easy...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the author of the runaway phenomenon Unbroken comes a universal underdog story about the horse who came out of nowhere to become a legend. “Fascinating . . . Vivid . . . A first-rate piece of storytelling, leaving us not only with a vivid portrait of a...