Once upon a time, any mention of California triggered reminders of Ronald Reagan and right-wing tax revolts, ballot propositions targeting undocumented immigrants, and racist policing that sparked two of the nation's most devastating riots. California confronted many of the challenges the rest of the country faces now--decades before the rest of us. How did the Golden State manage to emerge from its unsavory past to become a bellwether for the rest of the country?

Thirty years after Mike Davis's hellish depiction of California in City of Quartz, the award-winning sociologist, author, and USC professor Manuel Pastor guides us through a new and improved California, complete with lessons that the nation should heed. Inspiring and expertly researched, State of Resistance: What California’s Dizzying Descent and Remarkable Resurgence Mean for America’s Future makes the case for honestly engaging racial anxiety in order to address our true economic and generational challenges, a renewed commitment to public investments, the cultivation of social movements and community organizing, and more.