Water to the Angels: William Mulholland, His Monumental Aqueduct, and the Rise of Los Angeles

Standiford (creative writing, Florida International Univ.; Last Train to Paradise) offers a biography of William Mulholland (1855–1935), focusing on his role in the development of Los Angeles. While the author provides factual details regarding the California Water Wars and the collapse of the St. Francis Dam, which often cast Mulholland in a poor light, his desire to avoid a condemnation of his subject means that his language ultimately leans a bit too much toward the apologetic. For example, in the first 30 pages alone, Mulholland is referred to as "legendary" multiple times and the author's note describes an incident when the subject's granddaughter was harassed, indicating that the reader should feel sympathetic toward the granddaughter…and her grandfather by extension. In describing the collapse of the St. Francis Dam, which resulted in hundreds of deaths and millions of dollars in damages, Standiford describes how Mulholland willingly took blame for the incident, which the reader should consider refreshing because modern-day politicians wouldn't have done the same. The author tries to humanize Mulholland, a man who made great things happen—for both good and ill, depending on one's point of view.