Cash Crop: An American Dream
Northern California's marijuana-growing population has received ample publicity in the last few years. Steve Chapple's Outlaws in Babylon ( LJ 8/84) was a very personal and favorable view of this subculture; Raphael's book is an attempt to look at pros and cons both. It consists of lengthy interviews with growers, lifelong area residents, law enforcers, and other people with special knowledge of the situation. The author gives some economic and social history of the region, thus furnishing a context for the rest of the book. The best thing about the book is its balance. Raphael lets people explain their own points of view, and the people he chooses are almost all sympathetic; therefore, most readers should finish this book with more insight into the problem. Carol Rasmussen, M.L.S., Natl. Ctr. for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Col.Copyright 1985 Cahners Business Information, Inc.