Avella (religion, American life, and the American West; Marquette U., Wisconsin) describes the place of Catholicism in the capital of California from its origin as a gold rush town about 1850 to 2000. Among the stations of his history are cathedral building as urban project 1865-89, Catholic social provision during The Depression and World War II, and building a visible Latino presence 1930-70. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)