“…readable and entertaining. . . . De Wolk not only introduces a much more believable Stanford, warts and all, but also does a great job of showing how his legacy and reputation was managed, massaged and sanitized after his death.”
—True West
Award-winning journalist and author Roland De Wolk will be touring to discuss his new book, American Disruptor: The Scandalous Life of Leland Stanford, which chronicles the untold story of the life and legacy of historically famous entrepreneur and politician, Leland Stanford.
2019 & 2020 Events:
- November 6: Books Inc. Palo Alto CA
- November 7: Discussion with Phil Matier of the San Francisco Chronicle at Mechanics’ Institute, San Francisco CA
- November 12: Books Inc. Berkeley CA
- November 14: Discussion in partnership with Elliott Bay Books, at Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum, Seattle WA
- January 13: Book Club of California, San Francisco CA
- January 15: Institute for Research on Labor and Employment’s California Studies Dinner Seminar, UC Berkeley
- February 20: Center for Sacramento History, Sacramento CA
- April 5: Santa Clara Library, Santa Clara CA
- May 4: Ozaukee County Historical Society, Port Washington WI
- May 26: California Historical Society, San Francisco CA
- July 19: Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento CA
“Leland Stanford was once a man, but he has become a monument. Roland De Wolk has the wit to recognize that by recovering the man, he can tell us not only about Stanford but a great deal about the university that made the man into a monument. The book could not come at a better time. Today Stanford University rides the horse of entrepreneurship as hard as Leland Stanford raced his famous trotting horses. This is an entertaining and rollicking biography.”
—Richard White, Margaret Byrne Professor of American History, Stanford University