Overview
Drawing upon a decade of memorable adventures in Southern California, Los Angeles Times columnist, award-winning author and keen observer Steve Lopez offers more than 90 glimpses of life as he knows it.
In "The High and Mighty," Steve has lunch with a billionaire philosopher, considers the moral gifts of a famous filmmaker, and wonders whether mayors are really like the rest of us.
In "Excuse Me?" he goes on to look at TV news, medical marijuana, the yard cops of Los Angeles County and the case of the $15 hot dog.
In "Politics as Usual," Lopez zeroes in on two mayors with very different personalities, a governor as remarkable as the state he governates, and city officials with that California style.
In "Why Live Anywhere Else?" he broadens his view with sharp observations on driving and hitchhiking, looking for drugs, free meals and Buddhists, and the sport of chowing down at sports events.
In "Keep Them in Your Prayers," Steve focuses on the Teflon Cardinal and his Rog Majal, the problem with provocative billboards and the mini-bordellos of skid row.
In "Around the Corner and the World," he looks at a war about to start, the lessons of an earlier war, unnatural disasters and barbarism with an everyday face.
Finally, in "Grace Notes," our guide introduces us to heroic taco sellers, a busboy at the crossroads of history and the unforgettable Nathaniel Ayers, who traveled from Juilliard to life on the streets of L.A. and on to the White House.
