"A superb, warts-and-all introduction to the nation's most populous, polyglot and physically varied state—'a land and people,' says Fradkin, 'that are still in constant motion.'"—Frederic Golden, San Francisco Chronicle Review

"Contains a delightful array of anecdotes, mini-biographies and local histories . . . [and] makes great reading. . . . While many of us bumble along in the bubbles of our local espresso cart and occasional car stereo theft, Fradkin experiences our worst public events as the very stuff of life. This lends his writing a stirring urgency."—Dan Duane, Los Angeles Times Book Review

"In this ambitious and highly readable attempt to explain California, Fradkin (An American Nuclear Tragedy) reveals how the state's landscape has helped shape its destiny."—Publishers Weekly

"For three years, journalist Fradkin drove 200,000 miles in an old Volkswagen camper and swam, skied, sailed, hiked, biked, and climbed through the California landscape. The result is a tough, heartfelt book that succeeds both as history and as a personal odyssey."—James Hamilton, Westways

"With the light, revealing touch of a master reporter, Fradkin (Wanderings of an Environmental Journalist, 1993, etc.) takes the Golden State's measure, top to bottom."—Kirkus Reviews