The one book that everyone who cares about the San Fernando Valley should own

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Product Description

A journalist and native son of the San Fernando Valley, arguably America's quintessential suburb, returns to his

old neighborhoods and discovers a long, rich history filled with the sort of lore and traditions that make a place a home.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #163621 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
Kevin Roderick came to the subject of the San Fernando Valley both as a curious journalist and as a product himself of the suburbs. He grew up in Northridge, roaming the tracts of newly minted neighborhoods that came into being in the 1950s and 1960s. After attending James Monroe High School and studying the craft of journalism at California State University, Northridge, he went to work for the Los Angeles Times as a cub reporter covering the Valley. His career path steered him into other reporting endeavors and the newspaper’s senior editor ranks, but the untold stories of the Valley always beckoned. Roderick is currently the Los Angeles bureau chief for The Industry Standard magazine and lives in Santa Monica, Calif.

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Customer Reviews

Who Knew the Valley Was so Deep?
With this book, Kevin Roderick has done what many have thought is impossible: He proves that the Valley really is *interesting* after all. From the wonderful photos to the stories of the men whose names became our streets and boulevards, Roderick puts the development of our many communities into perspective. I could not put this book down - there were so many fascinating tidbits I'd never known (like Nikita Khruschev's visit to my Granada Hills neighborhood when it was just a fledgling housing development -- or exactly where Lucy and Desi lived -- or that Birmingham High was once the location of an Army hospital). I made the mistake of lending the book to a realtor friend and am now buying myself a new copy because he's not ready to give it back.

Anyone who has ever spent time here -- especially those of us who grew up here -- will enjoy this book.

If only for a smaller format! :-)
For those who grew up in the Valley, this book provides a wonderful mix of 'answers-to-trivia-questions' and a solid background in many aspects of its history. For those who've never lived in the Valley or never been there, Kevin Roderick's book will tell you that your culture is far more shaped by the Valley and the people in it than you ever knew.

Fascinating
This book is an engaging treat and an enlightening eye-opener for anyone who has ever lived in the Valley (especially for those of us who grew up here). Kevin Roderick reveals the Valley's history through a combination of well-researched prose and historical photographs which say even more than the words do. By the time you finish this book, you're almost saddened by the present state of the Valley because Mr. Roderick has illustrated just how beautiful and inviting this sunny prarie used to be, why it appealed to so many immigrants and developers, and how lovely it could have been. The timing of this book's release is noteworthy, too: it appeared in stores just before the movement for the Valley's possible secession from the City of Los Angeles appeared on the November 2002 ballots.