This memoir traces his family from 18th century Vilnius, Poland, but focuses on his life in the post-World War II San Fernando Valley, a collection of mostly chicken ranches and citrus groves that grew explosively to 1.2 million people in four decades. If it were a separate city, "the Valley" would be the sixth largest in the country. His memoir traces his development as an L.A. Times reporter and editor and provides the backstory to some of the more notable of his several thousand stories during a 13-year reporting career and commentary on his accomplishments as an editorial executive, a leader in California newspapering and protecting the First Amendment. His reporting career paralleled sweeping U.S. social changes, including demands for women's rights, gay rights and civil rights.