Telling California Stories.

"[Alta] California was relatively open to international migrants", Faragher explains, and a trickle of newcomers in the 1830s turned into a steady stream of mostly Americans in the early 1840s (p. 113). This charming story places "Jennie Wimmer's soap kettle [at] the epicenter of the earthquake known as the California gold rush", and it's only one of countless stories conveyed by Faragher with women from diverse backgrounds at the heart of California's narrative thread. First, this study of California's past seems deeply personal to Faragher, who as a third-generation Californian represents a rare sort in a state of constant newcomers. Faragher, by employing his own lineage, demonstrates the abiding nature of "community" across California history: the process of inclusion in the community has always been a function of who is excluded by race, law, and custom. [Extracted from the article]