A Machine to Move Ocean and Earth

The Making of the Port of Los Angeles and America

De: James Tejani

Narrado por: Jonathan Todd Ross

The Port of Los Angeles is all around us. Objects we use on a daily basis pass through it: furniture, apparel, electronics, automobiles, and much more. Yet despite its centrality to our world, the port and the story of its making have been neglected in histories of the United States. In A Machine to Move Ocean and Earth, historian James Tejani corrects that significant omission, charting the port's rise out of the mud and salt marsh of San Pedro estuary.

By the mid-nineteenth century, Americans had identified the West Coast as the republic's destiny, a gateway to the riches of the Pacific. Tejani demonstrates how San Pedro came to be seen as all-important to the nation's future. It was not virgin land, but dominated by powerful Mexican estates that would not be dislodged easily. Yet American scientists would wrest control of the estuary and set the scene for the violence, inequality, and engineering marvels to come.

San Pedro was no place for a harbor, Tejani reveals. The port was carved in defiance of nature, using new engineering techniques and massive mechanical dredgers. Tejani vividly describes how a wild coast was made into the engine of American power. A Machine to Move Ocean and Earth is must-listen for anyone who seeks to understand what the United States was, what it is now, and what it will be.

©2024 James Tejani (P)2024 Tantor

Adventure, spirit, innovation and grit...fascinating!

I didn't realize how something I never really think about is actually a large part of my daily existence. This account really helps identify particIur historical threads in the fabric of our culture and society. Each detailed account woven together shows a picture of not just what happened, but gives some insight into the personal journey of the individual character. I really enjoyed this! Randomly I was also on a Jack London kick at the same time that I was introduced to James Tejani's book...(not that they are the same genre) they actually paired so well together in my mental space, keeping my mind tethered to the amazing and mystical spirit of adventure, exploration, discovery and innovation.

Understanding hindered by the reader

The audiobook recounts an interesting and multi streamed story that would be a challenge to follow in a book, when one can page back and forth. Fort Yuma vs Fort Mojave. Which pass: Cajon, Tejon, Walker, San Gorgonio? Which military engineer? Which ship assigned to the coast survey? For me, the reader seemed to be sneering, ironic, or implying duplicity as he read, and he adopted a monotonous cadence that suggested to me he had not imbibed the account he was reading.

I ended up having to back up in 10 min increments over and over. When I finally finished listening, I felt the need to go right back to the introduction and start listening anew to really understand it this time. Also, listening to the audiobook while stopping to consult Google maps helped me grasp things on the second go round..

All in all, I found it to be a worthwhile addition to my understanding of Western history and the development of southern California. Listening to this volume made me want to read a good bio of Genl Edward Ord. I also learned a bit about the dangers of coastal storms in the 19th century, surveying, and geodesic mapping, worthy subjects. I guess I'd suggest to a friend that they take up the book, that this presentation was for me hard fully to assimilate in audio format.