Fool’s Paradise

By Carey McWilliams

This book is a compilation of essays written by Carey McWilliams.  These essays were written over the period from 1946 through 1966, with an afterword written in 1979.  The essays provide a contemporary view of California from an admittedly socialist point of view.  The author found that society did match his utopian view of what a benevolent socialist society should look like.

What is woefully lacking is a description of southern Californian life during the time period within the Homestead Museum’s scope.  The author does touch upon the revival of Spanish folkways in ceremonial reenactments, spiritual revivalists, like Aimee Semple MacPherson and the politics of water, including the works of William Mulholland.  These are important topics, but the reader must know that these are not a balanced presentations, but rather are tirades from the author’s viewpoint.

Most of the book is taken up with essays covering immigration (comically out of date), crime (covered much better in “The Grapes of Wrath”) and politics (left is good; right is bad).  The book is important as a history of political thought and opinion.  It is difficult to see how this book can help Docents to interpret the mission of the Homestead Museum, which is to strive to better understand the past (defined as the period of 1830 to 1930) and people’s ability to shape history.

The Foreward was written by the son of the author in 2001.  It would have helped had he updated each essay for current reality.