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.