a couple of my favorites.........
And if you like gambling and business, Im sure you would like these two books.
"The King of California" is the inside scoop on mega-farmer J.G. Boswell jr. who quietly secured the largest cotton farming operation in the world, by convincing the US government to dam three rivers and dry up the largest freshwater lake in the western USA 80 years ago. The chronology of this is well written by Mark Arax (L.A. Times writer who grew up in the San Joaquin Valley) and Rick Wartzman (Wall St. Journal). A bit tedious at 530+ pages, but any pro reader, with an appetite for business, monopolys, politics, and history will enjoy.
Speaking of Mark Arax, his father was killed in his bar in 1972, shot by unknown assailants on a Sunday. Mark devoted much of his adult life to finding the killers. Recently, he solved the puzzle. His book "In My Fathers Name" takes the reader right into the streets of Fresno California in the 60's complete with crooked police chiefs, whore houses, how building permits were issued to friends before strangers, etc. An inside look into small town politics and true crime. Well written, and some great humor as well.
But my favorite in the past year would have to be Charles Brandt's "I Heard You Paint Houses".......After reading this, your views of US and world politics will be forever changed. A must read for Democrats. You will also never wonder again what happened to Jimmy Hoffa. Or the Kennedy assasination, or Jack Ruby, or off shore betting, or labor unions and their connection with the US government. After reading this book, I can honestly say.....It all makes sense now.
This book I highly recommend to anyone that has an interest in business, gambling or politics that doesnt remember Hoffa, Kennedy, or how or why Las Vegas was actually built, and what has happened since.
good reading to you.
