In FROM WEST TO EAST Stephen Schwartz dispels the myth that American national culture developed first in the East and spread westward across the frontier. He reveals that there was a parallel American founding in 16th Century California - a truly multicultural society that produced a unique cultural mix of Spanish, Asian, European and Native American influences. Preserved by geographic isolation and fantastic natural wealth the states unique phantasmagorical 'mentality ' has become a powerful force in shaping American identity.<br> Schwartz chronicles the state's turbulent life from its discovery by the Spanish through the Civil War, the Great Depression and the birth of modern radicalism as a 'style' in the Beatnik revolution and the Berkeley Free Speech Movement. Bringing in some of the key figures of American history, this ambitious epic draws a vivid portrait of the near-mythical, intoxicating landscape of California.