THE BROWNS OF CALIFORNIA
available September 4, 2018 | ORDER HERE
The Browns Of California is a panoramic history of California and its impact on the nation, from the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley-told through the lens of the family dynasty that led the state for nearly a quarter century.
Even in the land of reinvention, the story is exceptional: Pat Brown, the beloved father who presided over California during an era of unmatched expansion; Jerry Brown, the cerebral son who became the youngest governor in modern times – and then returned three decades later as the oldest.
In The Browns of California, journalist and scholar Miriam Pawel weaves a narrative history that spans four generations, from August Schuckman, the Prussian immigrant who crossed the Plains in 1852 and settled on a northern California ranch, to his great-grandson Jerry Brown, who reclaimed the family homestead one hundred forty years later. Through the prism of their lives, we gain an essential understanding of California and an appreciation of its importance.
EVENTS
- 9/5 SACRAMENTO, CA: State Library, Sacramento, in conversation with Dan Morain, 11:30
- 9/6 LOS ANGELES, CA: Diesel Bookstore, 6:30 pm
- 9/12 LA JOLLA, CA: Warwick’s Bookstore, 7:30 pm
- 9/13 SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Mechanics’ Institute, in-conversation with Scott Shafer, 6:30pm
- 9/14 CORTE MADERA, CA: Book Passage, sponsored by Alta, in conversation with Phil Bronstein, 7 pm
- 9/15 SANTA ROSA, CA: Copperfield’s Books, 7 pm
- 9/17 LOS ANGELES: ALOUD at the Los Angeles Public Library, in conversation with Kathleen Brown, 7:30
- 9/20 PASADENA, CA: Vroman’s Bookstore, in conversation with David Ulin, 7pm
- 9/23 WASHINGTON, DC: Politics & Prose, 5 pm
- 9/25 NYC: The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, in conversation with Governor Jerry Brown, 6:30pm
- 9/26 ALBANY, NY: Book House, 6 PM
- 9/27 CAMBRIDGE, MA: Harvard Book Store, in conversation with Marshall Ganz, 7pm
- 10/1 SANTA CRUZ, CA: Bookshop Santa Cruz, 7 PM
- 10/2 SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Commonwealth Club, talk, 6 pm
- 10/3 PALO ALTO, CA: Bill Lane Center for the American West, Stanford University, 4:30 PM
- 10/4 -BERKELEY, CA: Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore, in conversation with T.J. Stiles, 7:30 PM
- 10/10 USC, Doheny Library, noon
A rich history of California, illuminated with small historical details that are a testament to Pawel’s research. In her capable hands, readers will find the Browns and California captivating subjects. -Publishers Weekly, starred review
Pawel expertly mines family archives, oral histories, and interviews with contemporary sources to fully and for the first time chronicle the origins and accomplishments of this remarkable clan.This fine and engaging political saga tracks both the Brown family and the growth of the state they have served. -Booklist, starred review.
The Browns of California is a beautifully written, exquisitely researched, and magnificent example of how history can be written as biography–and biography as history. – David Nasaw, author of THE PATRIARCHY: THE REMARKABLE LIFE AND TURBULENT TIMES OF JOSEPH P. KENNEDY