Review by Tester013 -- California: On the Edge of Americ...
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Tester013
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Review by Tester013 -- California: On the Edge of Americ...
[Following is a volunteer review of "California: On the Edge of American History" by Ronald Genini.]
At first glance, a book detailing the intricacies of the history of California may be easily overlooked as “yet another outdated encyclopedia”. Despite so, California: On the Edge of American History by Ronald Genini explains the history of the Golden State is far greater detail than any website can, and is certainly a worthwhile book to add to your virtual library for the times when you are in the mood for a good history lesson.
Despite being touted as “history” book, Genini mentioned events that happened in California up till around 2015, a pretty modern date depending on when you’re reading this review. In it, Genini goes into great detail about various events, from major events such as the gold rushes in the mid-19th century to the lesser-known murderers and disorderly behavior of the time. All in all, this book is perhaps the end-all of any historical work attempting to retell the story of the jewel of the west coast.
While there is a lot to like about this book, I found the great detail to be the most fascinating. Admittedly, I did not have the same appreciation for this book when I first picked it up. In this age of Wikipedia, history books felt more like a prop for use in the classroom rather than a book I’d pick up for enjoyment. However, only after reading this book did I realize that resources online can never match up to the intricacy that only a historian’s work can provide. Genini not only provided an overview of California, but he also drew the reader into its history, providing enough detail for readers to imagine what life was really like at the beginning. For that point alone, I feel that this book is a worthwhile read.
Nonetheless, this book’s greatest strength is also it’s biggest failing. At about 600 pages, this is a very daunting read for all but the most dedicated of readers. Moreover, as this book is fundamentally about documenting the history of California, there isn’t a “climax” or “resolution” that excites the reader and to keep them hooked till the end. Like others have suggested, perhaps breaking this up into 2 volumes could resolve this and keep readers interested in this work longer.
In the end though, I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, subtracting a star for the wordiness and dryness at times when reading this book. Surprisingly though, despite the wordiness, I found no grammatical or spelling errors and would say that this book is well-edited. As for recommendations, I feel that readers with a serious, and I mean serious, interest in the history of California would find this interesting. Otherwise, for the casual reader, I would applaud you for getting through the first 20% of this book.
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California: On the Edge of American History
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
At first glance, a book detailing the intricacies of the history of California may be easily overlooked as “yet another outdated encyclopedia”. Despite so, California: On the Edge of American History by Ronald Genini explains the history of the Golden State is far greater detail than any website can, and is certainly a worthwhile book to add to your virtual library for the times when you are in the mood for a good history lesson.
Despite being touted as “history” book, Genini mentioned events that happened in California up till around 2015, a pretty modern date depending on when you’re reading this review. In it, Genini goes into great detail about various events, from major events such as the gold rushes in the mid-19th century to the lesser-known murderers and disorderly behavior of the time. All in all, this book is perhaps the end-all of any historical work attempting to retell the story of the jewel of the west coast.
While there is a lot to like about this book, I found the great detail to be the most fascinating. Admittedly, I did not have the same appreciation for this book when I first picked it up. In this age of Wikipedia, history books felt more like a prop for use in the classroom rather than a book I’d pick up for enjoyment. However, only after reading this book did I realize that resources online can never match up to the intricacy that only a historian’s work can provide. Genini not only provided an overview of California, but he also drew the reader into its history, providing enough detail for readers to imagine what life was really like at the beginning. For that point alone, I feel that this book is a worthwhile read.
Nonetheless, this book’s greatest strength is also it’s biggest failing. At about 600 pages, this is a very daunting read for all but the most dedicated of readers. Moreover, as this book is fundamentally about documenting the history of California, there isn’t a “climax” or “resolution” that excites the reader and to keep them hooked till the end. Like others have suggested, perhaps breaking this up into 2 volumes could resolve this and keep readers interested in this work longer.
In the end though, I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, subtracting a star for the wordiness and dryness at times when reading this book. Surprisingly though, despite the wordiness, I found no grammatical or spelling errors and would say that this book is well-edited. As for recommendations, I feel that readers with a serious, and I mean serious, interest in the history of California would find this interesting. Otherwise, for the casual reader, I would applaud you for getting through the first 20% of this book.
******
California: On the Edge of American History
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
