GOLDEN STATE The Making of California

Bob Souer is a strong, energetic narrator who brings character and clarity to this excellent history of America's most colorful and dynamic state. Equally important, Souer maintains the author's reportorial balance and unmistakable enthusiasm for his subject. Arranged chronologically with each chapter devoted to a different era or feature of California's history, this is the kind of audiobook that can be listened to in strict order, or selectively by topic. The Gold Rush and the 1851 Vigilante cleanup of San Francisco are the most dramatic episodes, followed by the shabby history of the South Pacific Railroad and the Los Angeles water system. Every chapter, rich in detail and insight and masterfully narrated, is a fascinating listening experience. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2025]