Pugetopolis: A Mossback Takes on Growth Addicts, Weather Wimps, and the Myth of Seattle Nice

The Author creates a great read however as usual for Northwest folks leaves out the unmentionable subjects that are crucial to understanding whats really happening in the Northwest. Not one word mentions the recent influx of illegal Mexican aliens into Washington State and the tremendous increase in crime and poverty associated with this influx. Today one in five babies born in Washington are the children of illegal Mexican aliens. THis is the "Greatest story never told" in the Northwest that has and will continue the downward plundge in the quality of life that so many come to the NW to enjoy. Washington now has the majority of it social service funds supporting illgal aliens not Washintonians or Americans, our prisons fill with hispanic crime figures and our streets with the cocaine, heroin and the accociated crime from the Mexican regional distribution centers in the state. Oregon and Washington are unfortunately becomeing like Florida, California, Texas, Arizona..just another hole of Mexican crime and poverty. Come see it for yourself in Yakima, Skagit

For a tragedy, Pugetopolis is one funny book. Much of it is about the harm we Californians (and New Yorkers) have done to one of the most beautiful places on earth. Not all of the blame can be laid at the feet of land- and McMansion-hungry invaders from the south and the east, however. Some of the earliest settlers quickly set about ravaging the Puget Sound's natural resources, and many of its modern civic and corporate leaders have either dithered in the face of similar threats or contributed to the abuse of the the area's land, water, culture, and civic life. Berger's description of a particular visit to Seward Park will wrench your heart and haunt your dreams. Fortunately, you won't have to wait long for a belly laugh. His chapter on the Boy Scouts, for example, deals with serious subjects but how can you keep a straight face when he writes of his own Scouting experience as a "cross between Animal House and Lord of the Flies"? Agree or disagree with his diagnoses and/or prescriptions, Mossback's storytelling will have you in stitches one moment, tears the next. A great read.

Having lived in Seattle for more than 24 years, I found this book to be a greatly enjoyable and relevant read. In this collection of previously published columns, Berger offers immensely palatable historical perspective along with his humorous, sometimes cantankerous and often ironic observations about this city that he obviously loves - faults, fractures, failures, and all. This combination of the historical and the personal makes Pugetopolis much more than an an example of an author waxing nostalgic about the city of his youth. Whether you are a relative newcomer who assumes Seattle has always been a mecca for foodies and the upwardly mobile, or whether you have been around to witness even a few of the changes Seattle has gone through in the past decades, Pugetopolis will help you see (but NOT through rose-colored glasses) how Seattle's past influences its present and impacts its future. A must-read for anyone with a bond to Seattle -- native, newcomer, or even those who have loved and left!

A really great read. As witty and incisive as Frank Rich. Has the sense of a masterful narrator unravelling local history, culture, and politics from myths and mothballs, and making it funny, fascinating, compelling. Deeply skeptical without being cynical, deeply passionate without being preachy. Like all great writing, sweeps you up in its path completely, whether you find yourself in agreement or not.