A narrative tour de force that combines wide-ranging scholarship with captivating prose, Kevin Starr's acclaimed multi-volume Americans and the California Dream is an unparalleled work of cultural history. In this new volume, Starr covers the crucial postwar period--1950 to 1963--when the California we know today first burst into prominence. In a powerful blend of telling events, colorful personalities, and insightful analyses, he brilliantly illuminates the dominant economic, social, and cultural forces in California in these pivotal years.