THE MIRAGE FACTORY Illusion, Imagination, and the Invention of Los Angeles

Narrator Rob Shapiro's deep voice and calm tone holds listeners' attention throughout Krist's discussion of three public figures who influenced the growth of the city of Los Angeles--which was originally smack in the middle of a desert. Shapiro's first-class performance is simply superb. The history revisits themes addressed in the modern classic film CHINATOWN, with Jack Nicholson--and listeners with even a passing interest in the "water rights story" and its relationship to L.A.'s development will likely enjoy this audio tour de force. Using sophisticated storytelling and alternating chapters, Shapiro recounts the stories of engineering wizard William Mulholland, film director D.W. Griffith, and Pentecostal evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. Shapiro considerably advances this incisive look at the history of Southern California's sprawl. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2018]