The West means more than just a direction to Christopher Buckley; it stands for dreams and possibilities that are supple, filled with color, and tinged with memories both comic and dark. This is a book about California life from the viewpoint of an adult who weaves loosely connected stories about Catholic school, fashion, cars, and music with smooth-flowing personal reflections on the particular qualities of the western ethos and experience. These reflections show how childhood follows us into adulthood, how the culture into which we are born sustains and directs us, and sometimes blinds us.

This is a beautifully written collection, vastly entertaining, and, for anyone who does not know the West, terrifically informative.