Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World

Innovation helped build the city of Palo Alto. The city lies at the heart of “Silicon Valley” and is the wealthiest area in the United States. Despite the vast concentration of wealth, an undercurrent of melancholy has struck the youth of Palo Alto, resulting in an inordinate amount of suicides. The violent sins of the storied city’s past may have begun exacting a toll in the present.

In the 19th century, manifest destiny and the discovery of gold led to a population explosion, but at the expense of the indigenous population, who would be nearly decimated. The city’s renown would grow with the building of the Transcontinental Railroad and the largesse of Leland Stanford. The University bearing his name would emerge as a force in science and produce inventive minds for years to come. These minds produced ideas and devices capable of unlimited potential, both good and bad. The future is still being written.

The unparalleled growth of a city is exhaustively studied and conveyed by author Malcolm Harris. Harris produces a nearly flawless study of a city shaped by money, technology, and often intolerant ideals. Palo Alto is a meritorious tome crossing multiple genres (history, economics, biography).