"This book is a significant contribution to the field of California history, U.S. history, the history of World War I, U.S. military history, and the history of American women in war, both at home and abroad."—Southern California Quarterly
"Fills an important gap in the existing historiography of California and of World War I. North has constructed an in-depth study of this pivotal period in California history. The book expands our regional understanding of America during World War I and deepens our understanding of the social, economic, and political impacts of war."—H-Net Review
"A well-researched and well-written study that offers something for historians in all fields. California at War is a significant contribution to First World War historiography."—Western Historical Quarterly
"Should be mandatory reading for scholars and students interested in the history of California and of the American West."—Journal of Arizona History
"A thorough, extremely valuable account, of the role California played during World War I."—Choice
“Diane North’s sweeping overview of California in the Great War has something for every reader: armchair war buffs; scholars who understand that the United States extends beyond the East Coast; economists, scientists, and lawyers anxious to understand how the war transformed California and, in turn, the nation; and descendants of California veterans, keen to experience the sights and sounds of total war as their loved ones did.”—Mary Ann Irwin, coeditor of California Women and Politics: From the Gold Rush to the Great Depression
“North does a superb job of conveying the American experience of total war, especially its dark dimension of vigilantism, surveillance, and draconian law. Impeccably researched—the range of archival sources consulted is nothing short of dazzling—this beautifully written study shows how a toxic atmosphere of patriotism and hysteria settled over wartime California, pitting neighbor against neighbor and reinforcing longstanding racial and ethnic divisions.”—Steven Trout, editor of Scarlet Fields: The Combat Memoir of a World War I Medal of Honor Hero
“Diane North’s excellent book is the first serious social history of California during World War I. Comprehensive, carefully researched, and clearly written, the book is especially valuable for its detailed discussion of serious violations of constitutional rights and liberties made in the name of false patriotism.”—Charles Wollenberg, author of Berkeley: A City in History
"North’s splendid study provides us with the first substantive work on California during the Great War. North focuses on the groundwork laid during the war for today’s national security system, and intertwines the experience of Californians both at home and abroad with clarity and candor. It is informative reading for anyone interested in the legacy of World War I."—Edward A. Gutiérrez, author of Doughboys on the Great War: How American Soldiers Viewed Their Military Experience
“Diane M. T. North provides a comprehensive and nuanced examination of California’s contributions to the Great War and to how the conflict laid the foundations for the state’s rise to being an economic powerhouse. It is a fascinating study of how great events play out at the local level in the lives of individuals and their communities.”—Richard S. Faulkner, author of Pershing’s Crusaders: The American Soldier in World War I
“California at War is a masterful account of how the World War I propelled the Golden State into the economic power and social and cultural prominence for which it is known all over the world today. This is a thoroughly original work, the first of its kind. Based on prodigious research, much of it in never-before-consulted archives, and filled with engaging personal stories of the state’s diverse men and women, the book is also finely attuned to the question of how California’s World War I experience relates to our contemporary concerns. Diane M. T. North’s tour de force will quickly become a classic of California studies.”
—William Issel, San Francisco State University
“California at War is essential reading for students of California history. It brims with valuable insights into the economy, politics, and social order of the Golden State during World War I—a world-shaking event sorely neglected in California studies. Notably, the chapters on spying and suppression of dissent foreshadow the Cold War and today’s surveillance state, serving as a preface to recent scholarship on California’s immense contribution to the rise of the New Right.”—Richard Walker, professor emeritus of Geography, University of California, Berkeley, and author of The Conquest of Bread: 150 Years of Agribusiness in California and Pictures of a Gone City: Tech and the Dark Side of Prosperity in the San Francisco Bay Area.
