The Heart of California

I found this book really interesting and relevant to some of the major challenges facing society today. The author follows the trail of a 1938 boat trip through the valley made by Frank Latta, but today's journey was by car, the water is gone!
By referencing Latta's record of the 1938 trip and interviewing residents along the way he explains the enormous change to the landscape and the impact on communities past and present. The valley is a major food producer but the demand for water used in food production has made a huge impact on the environment.
I found the descriptions of local communities and the lives of local residents so interesting and also uplifting.
Well worth a read

Below are a few (somewhat) brief, $.02 opinions about books I've read or listened to recently but don't have time, inclination or opportunity to review in full. Their appearance in this recurring piece generally has little to nothing to do with merit. Many of these books I enjoyed as much or more than those that got the full court press. I hope you'll consider one or two for your own TBR stack if they strike your fancy whether they struck mine or not.

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POTENTIAL VICTIMS OF PANDEMIC BRAIN


The Heart of California, by Aaron Gilbreath

Another work about a location in my home state. The Central Valley is at the core of California and its dynamics are fascinating. I recently read a non-fiction piece about a serial killer preying on low income farm workers of the Central Valley (those no one cared enough about to follow up on) and it spiked my interest in reading more. This gorgeous cover sealed the deal. I am certain this work was a victim of pandemic brain. Non-fiction, usually my sweet spot, has been difficult, and this book was highly detailed and deeply researched. I'd love to get back to it, hopefully when our world regains some normalcy (pretty please, voters?).

I received this book through NetGalley.

The Heart of California speaks to my own heart. This is a nonfiction exploration of California’s San Joaquin Valley over the past two centuries. It is about water, and human psychology, and the evolution of land for better and for worse, and about an abiding love and respect for a place often dismissed as “the armpit of California,”

The structure of the book follows a journey taken by historian Frank Latta and his sons in 1938, when a tremendous flood year inspired him to travel from Bakersfield to San Francisco by boat. If you know anything about modern California geography, that very concept is ludicrous because it's all dry, irrigated farmland. The author, Aaron Gilbreath, adds layers of extra context to the historical travelogue by lacing in information on central California through the precolonial era, the 19th century with Spanish and American settlement, and bringing it into the modern era as he retraces Latta's route as much as he can in 2014 by car. His modern journey is what really got me. He talks to everyone along the way, from the Starbucks barista to the rest stop prostitute to the taco shop cowboy. He nails the vibe and soul of the valley. I know—I am from Hanford, a city to which he devotes an entire chapter. I grew up on stories about when Tulare Lake was actually a lake. The entire valley varies between extremes of flood and drought, and throughout my lifetime, it's been drought.

I've read many books on the valley (several of which he cites) and this is among the best. It's thoughtful and deep without being preachy. I am a bit biased because it does focus on my hometown for a while, but most of all, he gets the whole psychology of the valley, for better or worse. I could feel and smell his description of the Bakersfield trailer park by a canal.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the San Joaquin Valley.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is a great read about California's Central valley.