Just finished this book

The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California by Mark Arax
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Dreamt Land is reportage, memoir, history, and an unabashed love letter to California. The author, Mark Arax, grandson of a raisin farmer, grew up in California’s Central Valley and lives there still. He became a reporter for the LA Times, and then a writer of books. This is not a quick read, and it must have taken him years to research and write.
I read it because I am fairly new to California, and I know that a good way to know the state is by understanding water policy. Also, I have a marine biologist friend who has warned and educated me about California’s water conundrum. She introduced me to this book, and I thank her!
I’m hardly a policy wonk, but this book could make me one. Arax is a fine writer, and he has no simple answers.


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