Elaine Lewinnek
Elaine Lewinnek is professor of American Studies and chair of the Environmental Studies program at California State University, Fullerton. She has a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University and is the author of The Working Man’s Reward: Chicago’s Early Suburbs and the Roots of American Sprawl.
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The dominance of Cambodian American-owned doughnut shops in the United States began in this La Habra shop.
What are now idyllic green spaces in Orange County used to be nuclear missile sites meant to protect the region during the Cold War.
Fueled by patronage from Laguna Beach artists, vacationers from Hollywood and beyond, as well as marines, the Boom Boom Room was a center of gay nightlife in Orange County.
The Cold War bolstered Southern California’s industrial military complex, particularly in Orange County. It brought the military and interstate highways to the county, but helped push the diversity of the region.
The book looks beyond popular conceptions of the county, now home to more than 3 million people.