A Tale of Two States
Is the United States’s future going to be more like Wisconsin or California?
Darryl Holter is a historian, entrepreneur, musician, and owner of an independent bookstore. He has taught history at the University of Wisconsin and UCLA and is an adjunct professor at USC. His book Woody Guthrie in LA, 1937-1941 (Angel City Press, 2016) was co-edited with William Deverell. He is the author of The Battle for Coal: Mineworkers and the Politics of Nationalization in France, 1940-1950 (Northern Illinois University Press, 1992), Workers and Unions in Wisconsin: A Labor History (Wisconsin Historical Society, 1999), and three dozen scholarly articles and reviews on labor history, economic policies, and urban revitalization. Holter is the CEO of the Shammas Group, a family-owned group of automobile dealerships and commercial property located in Downtown Los Angeles with a thousand employees. He is the founding chairman of the Figueroa Corridor Business Improvement District, begun in 1998, which led the revitalization of Figueroa Street from the Staples Center to USC and Expo Park. He is a singer-songwriter and has produced four critically acclaimed albums since 2008, most recently Radio Songs: Woody Guthrie in LA (213 Music, 2015). He is a member of Professional Musicians Local 47. In 2014, Holter, along with Bert Deixler, purchased Chevalier’s Books, the oldest independent book store in Los Angeles, in order to save it from closing. They have revitalized the store and view it as an important link in the city’s intellectual infrastructure.
Is the United States’s future going to be more like Wisconsin or California?
Darryl Holter reflects on “Grown-Up Anger” by Daniel Wolff.
Darryl Holter appreciates “Al Franken, Giant of the Senate,” and solves a personal mystery.
Darryl Holter appreciates the lessons of “On Tyranny” by Timothy Snyder.
Darryl Holter reviews Rick Wartzman’s new book about the decline of American labor.
Darryl Holter reflects on “City of Dreams: Dodger Stadium and the Birth of Modern Los Angeles” by Jerald Podair.
Darryl Holter praises “Los Angeles Central Library: A History of its Art and Architecture” by Stephen Gee and photographer Arnold Schwartzman.