2019, Book 7: Mildred Pierce by John Cain and Book 8: Eden by Design by Hise and Deverell

Book 6: Not a Scientist by David Levitan. Nothing earth-shattering, but still important work on how politicians twist science.

Book 7: Mildred Pierce by John Cain.

Classic story of class in Depression America.  Some were able to navigate high-class society and its vanity.  Some jumped for such heights, forgetting that landing from such a jump puts you back where you started.  Some could play the wealthy's social games of whimsy.  Some weren't even aware such games were being played at their expense. Some were born to be of another, higher class, floating (not jumping) up and staying.  Some are the working class mothers of them.

Veda Pierce just needed an opportunity.  When she got it, she worked the hell out of it--without working. As much as mother Mildred wanted to be in a class with daughter Veda, Mildred's belief in honest, hard work eventually paying off clashed with the aloof lack of responsibility that the upper class is practically defined by.

Set in the greater Los Angeles area, some of the most amusing passages come off as downright mean to those who haven't lived it.  While Pasadena might not be the pinnacle of high society it was then, there is still a snobbishness to this day that harkens back.  Glendale has become a bustling community unto itself, but it still has never claimed the status of Pasadena at its peak.  And so it goes for Hollywood, Laguna Beach and countless other locales.

Book 8: Eden By Design by Hise and Deverell.

This book is a pure urban planning policy wonkfest.  I include it with Mildred Pierce because its content was being created at about the same time and place as Mildred Pierce's setting.  The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, even way back in the 20s, recognized that the city was being choked.  All the wonderful natural settings that made Los Angeles unique and appealing were being obliterated to make way for housing.  A report was commissioned from Olmsted-Bartholomew to both survey the natural landscape and propose ways to preserve it.  The main takeaway for me is that cities should build parks when they can, because eventually they won't be able to and wish they had.

Again, this book has special meaning to those who live or have lived in the greater Los Angeles area. Much of the county's larger physical contours remain and it's quite interesting to see where some communities tried to follow the plan, even though it was never formally adopted.  Of particular note is the stretch of green from Debs Park through Hermon Park to the Arroyo and Lower Arroyo Parks, all the way up to Devil's Gate Reservoir near JPL.  Another nice stretch runs from Griffith Park out to Topanga State Park, though I suspect this was more a result of difficult terrain than anything else.  In contrast, when one sees how barren the San Fernando Valley is of green space, it's no wonder that Lake Balboa is so crowded on the weekends.

While we can always lament what could have been, I think this book also serves as a counter to what currently is.  Los Angeles is still trying to build its way into affordable housing, an objective continuously held as noble in intent despite decades of failure.  This inevitably leads to further constrictions in public green spaces, deterioration in natural habitat and an overall reduction in quality of life for current residents who see their recreational spaces continuously eroded.  Perhaps there is a way to genuinely balance these interests, but what counts as "balance" right now suggests otherwise.