Update California’s reading list
“A fascinating and engaging book that highlights the life and influence of Isaias Hellman on California’s growth and change from the 1850s to the present. Finance, business, healthcare, discrimination and the incredible power of money and financial insight. As a Jew who grew up in Los Angeles and has lived in the Bay Area for more than 40 years, the book taught me so much about the history of the regions in which I have lived. My book club selection years ago was met with positivity. from my entire book club, which rarely happens, especially for a nonfiction title. — Farrell May Podgorsek, San Jose
“The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation” by Miriam Pawel (2018)
“Miriam Pawel has a remarkable talent for zooming out and revealing a broader story than you might expect. In this book, she does not limit herself to the prominent politicians in the Brown family, such as Governor Jerry Brown and his father, Pat Brown. Instead, she delves into four generations and offers more than just a political family biography. Through the lens of the Brown family, Pawel paints a vivid portrait of California history.” — Natalia Molina, Los Angeles
“The Long Goodbye” (1953) and “The Big Sleep” (1939) by Raymond Chandler
“You can’t go wrong with any of Philip Marlowe’s books, especially ‘The Big Sleep’ and ‘The Long Goodbye’. Reading them will give you a lesson in the geography of LA at the time, a view of the society at the time, not to mention an unforgettable cast of characters. — Marty Levy, Los Angeles
“Ask the Dust” by John Fante (1939)
“In this novel, Arturo Bandini, the young author’s fictional alter ego, struggles to become a famous writer in Depression-era Los Angeles. I first read this story in the 1980s, when I was just entering middle age. When I read it, I almost wished I was alive and young and as bold as Bandini is in the story, and as hungry as he was to make it as a recognized, successful writer, in the Los Angeles of the the tirthies. Robert Towne, who wrote the screenplay for ‘Chinatown’ and wrote and directed the film adaptation of ‘Ask the Dust’,’ has called “Ask the Dust” the best novel ever written about Los Angeles. — Jim Luther, Mendocino