The King of California

J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire

By: Mark Arax, Rick Wartzman

Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin

J. G. Boswell was the biggest farmer in America. He built a secret empire while thumbing his nose at nature, politicians, labor unions, and every journalist who ever tried to lift the veil on the ultimate "factory in the fields". The King of California is the previously untold account of how a Georgia slave-owning family migrated to California in the early 1920s, drained one of America 's biggest lakes in an act of incredible hubris and carved out the richest cotton empire in the world. Indeed, the sophistication of Boswell 's agricultural operation - from lab to field to gin - is unrivaled anywhere.

Much more than a business story, this is a sweeping social history that details the saga of cotton growers who were chased from the South by the boll weevil and brought their Black farmhands to California. It is a gripping read with cameos by a cast of famous characters, from Cecil B. DeMille to Cesar Chavez.

©2003 Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Underrated

A very well written piece of non-fiction. It’s a portrait of farming, California, and the U.S. that’s little known.

Amazing chronicle

Really good information, thoroughly researched. A very important story told without sympathy or judgment. Times were different then. I feel admiration and dismay in equal parts
for all that the Boswells achieved. Just a tiny quibble about the narration - mispronounciations of words like skied. And one of the authors is named Mark Arax and narrator called him Max.

Learn the truth

Can we trust the government to do what is right for all of us? Learn how it really works.

Great book

Really enjoyed reading this book! What a story of the biggest farming operation in the Country.

Interesting California History

I had some challenges with this book though I really tried to enjoy it from cover to cover. Unfortunately, I found that the book could only keep my interest for every-other chapter. The content had my ear for the most part, especially since it was discussing (central) California. The down-side was the fact that the details seemed to bog down the story.

The first chapter or two did an excellent job of setting a preface, but then the book morphed into a deep recount of the Boswell legacy in the mid-1800's. It sort of lost me. And it seemed like the book followed that trend until the last few chapters where the (current) legacy picked back up.

The book is worth the read, even with my average rating. You'll get immersed in the States history, and how Agriculture plays such a huge roll in our economy, whether you reside in California or not. Interesting to say the least...Though you may also get bored with the details.