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Title: Good intro but culturally imperialistic
Review: Prof. Starr's written a good, concise history but has predictably failed in his treatment of the Spanish and Mexican periods. His is the standard 21st-century cant, i.e., whatever was done then should be judged by "modern" standards. This bit of cultural and temporal imperialism says that the noble savage, living in peace with his neighbors and harmony with nature, should have been left alone to work out his own indeterminate fate. However, even a cursory reading of eyewitness reports will call this viewpoint into question.Once you get past his cultural bias, though, it's an entertaining--albeit understandably overly concise--intro to California history.
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