Peter Schrag
Paradise Lost
California's Experience, America's Future
Updated with a New Preface
$21.95, £14.95 paperback
9780520243873
Available Now
370 pages, 6 x 9 inches,
August 2004, Available worldwide
August 2004, Available worldwide
For much of the past century California was the envy of the continent, not just for what nature had made but for what civil society had created: speedy freeways, well-supported schools, the world's best public university system, public works that made the desert bloom. Not any more. California's public works and social services are crumbling, and public education has plunged from the top to near-bottom in nationwide measures. How could the American dream go so wrong so fast? Originally published in 1998, Peter Schrag's view of California seems as applicable as ever. In his new preface to the 2004 edition, Schrag updates the California scene and considers the fallout from such political earthquakes as the 2003 recall election.
"Because of cuts in property taxes and a reluctance by older, wealthier Californians to pay for services they don't personally use, public services in the Golden State are underfunded, overcrowded, and in some cases, literally crumbling. Peter Schrag argues that in this, California may offer a preview of trends for the rest of the nation."—Matthew Miller, U.S. News and World Report
"[An] angry and persuasive book…. Schrag writes in the voice of an immensely knowledgeable, reasonable man—not an ideologue—who has slowly succumbed to outrage."—Nicholas Lemann, New York Times Book Review
"No review can do justice to Schrag's marshaling of fact and insight. This book is a must-read for those who care about California's future."—Peter Booth Wiley, San Francisco Chronicle Review
"No quick synopsis can do justice to the detailed analysis Schrag presents in Paradise Lost. The moral of the story is that contempt for government creates government that is contemptible—a moral the rest of the country should study since, metaphorically speaking, California is famously the place where the rest of us are heading."—Amanda Heller, Boston Globe
"[An] angry and persuasive book…. Schrag writes in the voice of an immensely knowledgeable, reasonable man—not an ideologue—who has slowly succumbed to outrage."—Nicholas Lemann, New York Times Book Review
"No review can do justice to Schrag's marshaling of fact and insight. This book is a must-read for those who care about California's future."—Peter Booth Wiley, San Francisco Chronicle Review
"No quick synopsis can do justice to the detailed analysis Schrag presents in Paradise Lost. The moral of the story is that contempt for government creates government that is contemptible—a moral the rest of the country should study since, metaphorically speaking, California is famously the place where the rest of us are heading."—Amanda Heller, Boston Globe
1998 New York Times Notable Books
California & Western History Bestsellers
