The End of the Golden Gate - (Paperback)

About the Book

"Anyone who lives in the bay has experienced the grief of friends and family leaving San Francisco for more affordable living, or because San Francisco is no longer the city they fell in love with. We don't blame them, we have thought of leaving ourselves from time to time. The San Francisco we know is constantly changing, the rent only seems to get higher, and settling down in the bay for good seems harder and harder to imagine. In this collection of personal essays from 20-25 beloved writers on loving, living, and sometimes, leaving San Francisco, this penetrating journey through San Francisco will illuminate both what makes this city so captivating and how it has changed vastly over the last few decades"--

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER! Capturing an ever-changing San Francisco, 25 acclaimed writers tell their stories of living in one of the most mesmerizing cities in the world.

Over the last few decades, San Francisco has experienced radical changes with the influence of Silicon Valley, tech companies, and more. Countless articles, blogs, and even movies have tried to capture the complex nature of what San Francisco has become, a place millions of people have loved to call home, and yet are compelled to consider leaving. In this beautifully written collection, writers take on this Bay Area-dweller's eternal conflict: Should I stay or should I go?

Including an introduction written by Gary Kamiya and essays from Margaret Cho, W. Kamau Bell, Michelle Tea, Beth Lisick, Daniel Handler, Bonnie Tsui, Stuart Schuffman, Alysia Abbott, Peter Coyote, Alia Volz, Duffy Jennings, John Law, and many more, The End of the Golden Gate is a penetrating journey that illuminates both what makes San Francisco so magnetizing and how it has changed vastly over time, shapeshifting to become something new for each generation of city dwellers.

With essays chronicling the impact of the tech-industry invasion and the evolution, gentrification, and radical cost of living that has transformed San Francisco's most beloved neighborhoods, these prescient essayists capture the lasting imprint of the 1960s counterculture movement, as well as the fight to preserve the art, music, and other creative movements that make this forever the city of love.

For anyone considering moving to San Francisco, wishing to relive the magic of the city, or anyone experiencing the sadness of leaving the bay--and ultimately, for anyone that needs a reminder of why we stay.

Bound to be a long-time staple of San Francisco literature, anyone who has lived in or is currently living in San Francisco will enjoy the rich history of the city within these pages and relive intimate memories of their own.

- GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY: A percentage of the proceeds will be given to charities that help those in the bay experiencing homelessness. Every copy purchased offers a small way to help those in need.

Review Quotes

"Funny, heartbreaking, insightful--and sometimes incite-ful." --SF Gate

"The End of the Golden Gate's 25 essays are filled with emotional, sincere thoughts on San Francisco. The collection's depictions of the city and its people often are beautiful, and its anecdotes illuminating." --SF Weekly

"Heartfelt, enlightening.... This collection illuminates the beauty, the climate and the history that drew (and sustained) residents to 'the glittering, devil-may-care' city, with contributions from 25 writers who may have left her, but undeniably have loved her, too." --Shelf Awareness

"The End of the Golden Gate brings some of the area's most notable voices together to offer an insider's account on why we go (but often stay) in a city that is beauty incarnate but constantly in search of itself.. A necessary, lively rebuttal to any argument suggesting San Francisco is headed six feet below, while also revealing the many painful, often profound costs that come with being-and remaining-a resident of San Francisco." --San Francisco Chronicle/Datebook

About the Author

- Gary Kamiya
- W. Kamau Bell
- Margaret Cho
- Michelle Tea
- Daniel Handler
- John Law
- Beth Lisick
- Peter Coyote
- Alia Volz
- Stuart Schuffman
- Jamie Wong
- Larry Smith
- Bonnie Tsui
- Elissa Bassist
- Duffy Jennings
- Grant Faulkner
- Diana Helmuth
- Alysia Abbott
- Sarah Coglianese
- Elizabeth Khuri Chandler
- Andrew Altschul
- Terry Ashkinos
- Kimberly Reyes
- Fayette Hauser