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A review by mcreed06
The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of A Secret American Empire by Rick Wartzman, Mark Arax
4.0
As a native Georgian well versed in the role of cotton in our state's history, it was surprising to me that California's cotton industry surpassed any in Georgia. Then again, J.G. Boswell's family originated in Georgia, and successfully farmed cotton in Greene County, Georgia before moving to California. Go figure!
I'm not going to write much about The King of California because my close friend in California, upon whose insistence that I read this book, and I indulged in several hours-long texting marathons solely on the subject of the cotton kingdom J.G. Boswell's family built. We covered every aspect; human nature, politics, subsidies, murder, agriculture, the drought, mirgrants/immigration, salacious gossip, building of wealth, and the science behind dams. It was a two person book-club over text.
It is too bad that these texts are in whichever black hole deleted texts and e-mails go when that 'delete' button is clicked. My friend who lived in Visalia, California personally knew many of the people mentioned in The King of California, and had loose ties with the Salyer family. He had interesting tidbits to share with me while I was reading the book. We planned a trip to the Joaquin Valley to see the Tulare Lake Bed and the town of Corcoran. Now, that trip may have to wait until far into the future since my friend is now moving across the United States to North Carolina.
I only wish Mark Arax and Richard Wartzman would write more books together. The two writers rival David McCullough in thorough research, superb writing and reporting of an important piece of American history. Even Joan Didion, one of the most accomplished writers in America, said so herself; Masterful reporting, invigorating narrative, a deep understanding of California and how it works - this is a flat-out wonderful book about growing cotton and making a fortune in the San Joaquin."
Now, that is a compliment coming from Joan Didion!
I'm not going to write much about The King of California because my close friend in California, upon whose insistence that I read this book, and I indulged in several hours-long texting marathons solely on the subject of the cotton kingdom J.G. Boswell's family built. We covered every aspect; human nature, politics, subsidies, murder, agriculture, the drought, mirgrants/immigration, salacious gossip, building of wealth, and the science behind dams. It was a two person book-club over text.
It is too bad that these texts are in whichever black hole deleted texts and e-mails go when that 'delete' button is clicked. My friend who lived in Visalia, California personally knew many of the people mentioned in The King of California, and had loose ties with the Salyer family. He had interesting tidbits to share with me while I was reading the book. We planned a trip to the Joaquin Valley to see the Tulare Lake Bed and the town of Corcoran. Now, that trip may have to wait until far into the future since my friend is now moving across the United States to North Carolina.
I only wish Mark Arax and Richard Wartzman would write more books together. The two writers rival David McCullough in thorough research, superb writing and reporting of an important piece of American history. Even Joan Didion, one of the most accomplished writers in America, said so herself; Masterful reporting, invigorating narrative, a deep understanding of California and how it works - this is a flat-out wonderful book about growing cotton and making a fortune in the San Joaquin."
Now, that is a compliment coming from Joan Didion!