Free Kindle The King Of California: J.G. Boswell And The Making Of A Secret American Empire ebooks Download
J.G. Boswell was the biggest farmer in America. He built a secret empire while thumbing his nose at nature, politicians, labor unions and every journalist who ever tried to lift the veil on the ultimate "factory in the fields." The King of California is the previously untold account of how a Georgia slave-owning family migrated to California in the early 1920s,drained one of America 's biggest lakes in an act of incredible hubris and carved out the richest cotton empire in the world. Indeed, the sophistication of Boswell 's agricultural operation -from lab to field to gin - is unrivaled anywhere.Much more than a business story, this is a sweeping social history that details the saga of cotton growers who were chased from the South by the boll weevil and brought their black farmhands to California. It is a gripping read with cameos by a cast of famous characters, from Cecil B. DeMille to Cesar Chavez.
Paperback: 592 pages
Publisher: PublicAffairs (February 15, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1586482815
ISBN-13: 978-1586482817
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.5 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #203,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #54 in Books > Science & Math > Agricultural Sciences > History #126 in Books > Business & Money > Industries > Agriculture #725 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Business
This far-reaching book is quite an accomplishment in biography and investigative journalism. Arax and Wartzman cover the history of the immense Boswell farming company of California, and the two guys named J.G. (the founding uncle and the current chairman, his nephew) who built the company into the largest cotton operation on Earth. Through cutthroat competitive instincts and political wheeling-and-dealing, the Boswells amassed tens of thousands of acres in California's Central Valley, and were instrumental in eliminating what was once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, as the former Tulare Lake was transformed into a festering network of levees, canals, and cesspools dedicated to the mass production of cotton. Thus, the Boswells built the area's environment, culture, and economics for their own profitability.The book also serves as a great exploration of the business of factory farming, detailing the racism and poverty experienced by Black and Mexican workers, as well as the shifty agricultural and hydrological politics of Big Ag in California - as the Boswells and their competitors/allies buy politicians, stack laws and regulations in their favor, and claim flood control as a reason to alter the natural course of rivers and to completely drain the vast Tulare Lake. Best of all, we see how big business really works out West, with the hypocrisy of so-called rugged outdoorsmen (actually pampered CEO's) who incessantly rail against government interference while also taking in millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies that are meant to help the little guy. This book is immensely informative but does often get tied up in unnecessary details, such as descriptions of petty political shenanigans in the construction of a nearby dam.
The King Of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of A Secret American Empire Boswell's London Journal, 1762-1763 Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism (American Empire Project) The Secret History of the American Empire: The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World Junípero Serra: California, Indians, and the Transformation of a Missionary (Before Gold: California under Spain and Mexico Series) The Romans: From Village to Empire: A History of Rome from Earliest Times to the End of the Western Empire FBA: FBA Blackbook: Everything You Need To Know to Start Your Business Empire ( Empire, Super Easy Step by Step Guide, Insider FBA Secrets) Affiliate Marketing: Develop An Online Business Empire from Selling Other Peoples Products (Affiliate Marketing 101, Affiliate Marketing Empire) PASSIVE INCOME: Develop A Passive Income Empire - Complete Beginners Guide To Building Riches Through Multiple Streams (Multiple Streams, Passive Income Riches, E-commerce Empire) Field Guide to the Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States (California Natural History Guides) Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California (California Natural History Guides) Trees and Shrubs of California (California Natural History Guides) California Landlord's Law Book, The: Rights & Responsibilities (California Landlord's Law Book : Rights and Responsibilities) Appropriate: The Houses Of Joseph Esherick (Environmental Design Archives at the University of California, Berkeley Series) (Environmental Design Archives ... University of California, Berkeley Series California Light: A Century of Landscapes: Paintings of the California Art Club California Fresh Harvest: A Seasonal Journey through Northern California What NOT to Write: Real Essays, Real Scores, Real Feedback (California Edition) (LawTutors California Bar Exam Essay Books) Kaplan CSET: California Subject Examinations for Teachers (Kaplan Cset: The California Subject Examination for Teachers) California POST Exam Secrets Study Guide: POST Exam Review for the California POST Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery (PELLETB) (Mometrix Secrets Study Guides) California POST Exam Study Guide: Test Prep for California Police Officer Exam (Post Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery (PELLETB))
