Official Review: California: On the Edge of American Hist...

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greenstripedgiraffe
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Official Review: California: On the Edge of American Hist...

Post by greenstripedgiraffe »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "California: On the Edge of American History" by Ronald Genini.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Have you ever wondered just how various states developed into their modern form? Part of the United States of America, yet with sufficient individualistic characteristics to nearly be its own self-sustaining country, California is rich in fertile land. Modern California provides food for much of the world, loudly proclaims diversity, and sets many precedents for the rest of the country. In order to truly understand California, one must delve deep into history to discover what behind this unique west coast state.

Ronald Genini has written a lengthy book that explains how a rich section of land inhabited by Native Americans quickly became a favored land of legends and at last a settled country. California: On the Edge of American History is filled with legends, first-hand testimonies, historical documents, and copious records. Genini's book doesn't stop with ancient history, however. He goes on to discuss modern events through 2015, at which time I assume the book was first published.

Tales of Cortez and his famous search for El Dorado (City of Gold), Spanish missions, Indian massacres, entrepreneurs, Russians, love stories, conquistadors, and more fill the pages of this book. Written in an easy to understand style, my biggest complaint is the length. It took me half of forever to read! I understand that Genini's book is used as a textbook in some California schools, but for the average reader, you would have both love all the details and have more than a mild interest in the state in order to fully appreciate this book. It's plain that the author spent much time researching in order to so thoroughly capture the essence of each time period represented.

I did not find grammatical errors in the book, which led me to believe this has been professionally edited. The author has a mastery of language and makes use of impeccable imagery; one can nearly "experience" California history while reading. Given that this is a non-fiction book, I am pleased to note that it is well-documented throughout. Although it is nearly impossible for any historian to write without some bias, the author did a fine job of keeping bias to a minimum, which I deeply appreciated.

Again, the biggest issue with this book is the sheer length. I would suggest for easier processing, this could easily be split into a multi-volume work. Due to the impressive amount of documented facts, easy reading style and lack of errors, I rate this 4 out of 4 stars. However, I feel that it is written for a fairly selective audience rather than the general populace due to the extensive treatment of the topic.

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California: On the Edge of American History
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Post by Dahmy 10 »

I think I agree with your suggestion of splitting the book into volumes, not all of us have that motivation to turn immense pages...

I love the book because I love history, I hope they take to your advice so I can jump on it. Thank you!!!
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Post by Cecilia_L »

I think your suggestion of multiple volumes is a great idea. I'm afraid I would lose interest in such a lengthy book in this genre. Thanks for your in-depth review!
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Post by kdstrack »

The length would be a drawback for me, too. The information you have given about the book makes it seem very interesting, though. Good job!
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Post by kandscreeley »

Sounds like a good book for those who are really interested in History. It's not my forte and especially not California. Due to that and the length, I think I'll skip it. But I appreciate the amount of research that went into this book. Thanks for the good review.
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Post by greenstripedgiraffe »

kandscreeley wrote: 05 Jul 2018, 08:01 Sounds like a good book for those who are really interested in History. It's not my forte and especially not California. Due to that and the length, I think I'll skip it. But I appreciate the amount of research that went into this book. Thanks for the good review.
Thanks, that's pretty much what I thought. It was fascinating, but too much. :shock:
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Post by Alice Heritage »

It's good that it's written in a lively and vivid style. I was afraid that it might be dry. It seems to have illustrated California's history well. It's a shame the length was an issue.
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Post by Faithmwangi »

Not exactly my cup of tea but I do appreciate the insightful review.
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Post by gali »

A book revolving around the history of California sounds like a good read for fans of the genre. Sounds like a comprehensive and well researched book due to the inclusion of the legends, testimonies, and historical documents. That the book was well edited is to the author's credit. Not my cup of tea, but I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for the review!
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Post by Ruba Abu Ali »

The amount of research invested in this book is impressive. Thanks for the candid and insightful review.
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Post by Bavithra M »

This book is about history of California.This book is a treat for historic book lovers.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

This is a historical geographic non-fiction novel on the making of the United States as regards to California. The book is free on Amazon Kindle and has a detailed well-written onlinebookclub review. Congrats on being the BOTD.
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Post by LV2R »

This book of California sounds very complete, covering so many historical and modern-day events of this huge state. It sounds like there would be a lot of interesting facts about the tales of Cortez in search of the City of Gold, Indian massacres, Russians, and so much more. I was surprised to hear that California provides food for much of the world. Congratulations for reading such a long, detailed book and writing a nice summary.
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Post by Waragu Samuel »

There is much history in this book especially of California. For all lovers of History, it is my wishful thinking that they will find this to be a resourceful book as far American history is concerned. The cover page illustration is masterfully done. Thanks for this great and elaborate review.
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Post by Dawnks09 »

This book is quite lengthy but American history is one of interesting book to read. The book also presents a lot of information about America. Congrats to the BOTD. Thank you for this detailed review.
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