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Michael Di Leo

Michael DiLeo, a native of New York, has an M.A. in History from UCLA. Currently, a free-lance writer living in Marin County, he is the author of several high school textbooks in the fields of history, government, and language arts. He is a co-author of Headwaters published by Island Press.

Two Californias

The Myths And Realities Of A State Divided Against Itself

Two Californias explores for the first time the pervasive folk myth that Northern and Southern California should really be separate states. You hear it all the time in the media and on the street - but is it true?

Michael DiLeo and Eleanor Smith look closely and discover that there are profound truths embedded in the folk tradition. And equally profound misconceptions. Probing the surprising and little-known history of the split-state movement, the authors find that its underlying sentiments have been part of California politics and culture since territorial days.