I’ve read a good bit about the early days of Los Angeles, so
there were parts of this book that had me wondering if I’d read this one
before. Obviously, no. But there are just only so many ways of describing an
event.
Krist tells LA’s story by focusing on three people who were
important in shaping the development of old LA: William Mulholland, D.W.
Griffith, and Aimee Semple McPherson. Mulholland was the engineer who found a
(temporary) solution to Los Angeles’s lack of water: drain the Owens Valley of
what they thought was ample water. It was him that allowed the green lawns and
lush gardens that existed for decades, before water restrictions hit. D.W.
Griffith was a director working during the birth of motion pictures, who made
movies an art instead of hamminess - and also made one of the most racist
movies ever, The Birth of a Nation. McPherson was an evangelist who moved from
the mid-west to LA to found a church that is still going- and created a space
for non-mainline religions in the city. All three shaped LA; all three ended up
more or less in disgrace.
What makes this book different from the other “Old LA” books
I’ve read is the amount of detail Krist has put into it. He’s dug a lot deeper
than most others. Even though I knew the stories of Mulholland and Griffith, their
stories held my attention- especially the part about the St. Francis dam
failure that killed 400 people- I had never heard of that event! The chapters
alternate between the three main characters; they never weave together even though
they all were working during the same era. Enjoyable to read and full of facts.
Four stars.
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I received my copy of this book free from Net Galley in return for an honest review.
Neither of these things influenced my review.
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