City of Promise: Race & Historical Change in Los Angeles

Sacramento author Ken Burt fleshes out the roots and flowers of Latino politics in post-World War II Los Angeles—one of seven essays in City of Promise: Race & Historical Change in Los Angeles. The writers focus on the lives and views of the city’s non-white populace (Asian, black, Mexican and Pacific Islander, but not American Indian) at home and away from it. The time span is the 20th century. Running a red line through the collection is racial minorities’ rough relations with the city’s police department, a white-dominated institution. These non-Anglos wrestled with this and other hurdles, such as access to jobs. The authors’ finely-textured work deepens readers’ appreciation of these social processes. This is a book for a younger generation to read and savor.