California Fault: Searching for the Spirit of a State Along the San Andreas

by Thurston Clarke

Book Overview

"I became interested in earthquakes when one almost killed me," begins acclaimed travel writer Thurston Clarke, "and in California when I discovered it almost killed my ancestor. . . ." His... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345409086
• ISBN13: 9780345409089
• Release Date: July 1997
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 417 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Searching for unity in a divisive state.

The fear, fatalism, and futility that earthquakes inspire in Californians may be the one true element that binds them all despite their political, sociocultural and economic and, may I add, hydrological divisiveness. Still, earthquakes may not necessarily factor in the psyche of people who live a comfortable distance from the state's many faults or for people who do not think they should be affected at all. The book probably works out fine for readers who have not been to California or who are curious about earthquakes and the alleged capabilities of some people to make predictions sans scientific instruments.The strongest message that I got from the book is this: Just as the beauty of California belies the terror that its geologic instability can bring about, the popularity of the state as a favorite destination belies the sad realities that come with unstoppable population growth: the lack of rootedness and an appreciation for history, the ever-increasing isolationism of gated communities and housing developments, and the homogenization of suburban living, shopping, and other recreational diversions. The description of teenage ennui in privileged Saratoga, the suburban anonymity of Cupertino in Santa Clara Valley and Palmdale in Antelope Valley, and the increasing hazards of spending a weekend at the San Gabriel Mountains were particularly telling.Earthquakes may cause people not to move to, or to move out of, California, but the big challenge for Californians is to balance a viable economy with preserving what is left of this gorgeous state. The author lamented the lack of community in places that have just sprouted from what once was rangeland or farmland. Will the sense of community improve when immigrant communities are more established? The children of immigrants and transplants will have to understand the history of this vast state and listen to the voices of reason (voiced out by its eccentrics? bohemians? environmentalists?) in order to come up with a solution to preserve the attributes that make California great.

Whose Fault?

California Fault is an excellent and endearing book. Thurston Clark combines elements of geology, sociology, history with a wealth of insight to create the story of the San Andreas fault and the Californians who live above and along it. The author provides an excellent and detailed narrative, and, despite following many entertaining digressions, keeps it all together and focussed by the creative use of different themes - the trail of an ancestor who led men across the Oregon trail, his personal search for an earthquake to experience and someone to forecast it for him, and of course, the pursuit of the California dream. In particular those who like eccentrics will find a selection of the best California has to offer - their stories tied together by the author's skillfully highlighted ironies and ambiguities which are themself such a big part of any true California story.

Interesting slice of California

The author takes a trip down the San Andreas fault from the North Coast to the Salton Sea, and talks about the communities (villages, San Francisco, Palm Springs) along the way. These California towns are facing the same problems with developers wanting to make a quick buck and local governments desparate for tax money to build prisons. The author's geology is lacking, but his sense of the people he's met makes up for it.

Facinating sociological look at California in the '90's.

Mr. Clark follows California's San Andreas fault from the north to the south and documents the people he meets and the communities he visits along the way. Of special interest were his insightful comments on current residents' knowlege of local Native American history. This book is an illuminating look at California culture in the '90's. I'm sending it to my friend in Eureka who introduced me to some of the same Native American history Mr. Clark uncovers, and to my brother in Fremont to see what he thinks of Mr. Clark's viewpoint. This is a great travelogue for those who enjoy both people and geology.

No faults here

Clarke certainly came up with a novel way to get to grips with the fading California Dream. His trip along the San Andreas Fault is filled with characters and places no one would ever visit except Clarke. This makes it all the better as how else would we know there are plans afoot to turn a polluted inland sea, the Salton Sea (where?), in southern California into a resort! Or stories like the weirdly wonderful Japanese businessman who built a "shrine" to James Dean near the spot on the fault where Dean crashed and burned...the list goes on and on. Somehow Clarke is able to weave it all together into a coherent whole and despite his wish to experience a quake on his journey, he doesn't yet leaves us all with a story that will add to the understanding of the elusive California Dream.