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No other family has wielded as much influence over California as the Browns: Pat Brown served as governor over two terms beginning in 1959, while his son Jerry is now in his fourth term and second round as the top state official. But the family’s intertwining with California history did not begin there. In her new book, “The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty That Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation,” the journalist and historian Miriam Pawel traces the story of four generations.

We spoke with Ms. Pawel to understand what history may tell us about the state today. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Q. You write with the premise that the unique history of California as a whole can be told through the unique history of the Brown family. How did that idea come about?

A. In 2015, the governor was talking a lot in public speeches about his great-grandfather, August Schuckman, who came across through the Plains in 1852 and settled in Colusa, on the land where Jerry Brown and his wife are building their retirement home. I was very struck by this and his belief that it was important to know that history, and that history was a guide.