Rethinking Los Angeles /

The aim of this collection of original essays is to dispel prevailing myths about Southern California and to launch the process of "rethinking" a region that is so often held up as a prototype of the future of metropolitan America. The editors (Univ. of Southern California), cutting-edge social scientists, present greater Los Angeles in all of its diversity, and have assembled an impressive array of scholars who discuss subjects ranging from urban imagery and economic development, to social problems, education, and health care. The book's 27 concise yet lively articles collectively make an important contribution to the literature of urban and policy studies. This volume is also a major addition to works in the broader field of cultural studies that assess the transformation of American society at the threshold of the new millennium. Physically, the volume is particularly handsome, although it would have been enhanced by a more generous use of maps and diagrams in place of the cramped folios of color photographs. Highly recommended for major university libraries and all college libraries on the West Coast. Upper-division undergraduates and above. P. O. Muller University of Miami