This Is Your First Rock Garden, Isn't It?

Book excerpt: It's different "over there." Everybody east of Washington, Oregon, and California knows it. But defining the West Coast as "not like the East Coast" leaves way too much of the story untold. No, far better to turn to Adrian Raeside's This Is Your First Rock Garden, Isn't It?, perhaps one of the most informative -and certainly funniest-explanations to ever depict the westernmost portion of our country. Raeside represents the perfect comic commentator on what makes "Other Coasters" tick. He was born a Kiwi, lived in England, and now resides in British -close enough for a good view without having to get mixed up in the muddle that passes for the West Coast lifestyle and its many subcultures. Instead, the cartoonist accurately sheds light and humor on residents who put their own unique spin on everything from cars and coffee to extreme sports and the latest out-there technology.