Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays (1968)

I read this over a fairly long period of time so the stories and sentiments relayed within seem to have been blurred by the various contexts in which I read them, an additional filter to that of the hazy nostalgia already present. Honoured to have been gifted this, but I'm not sure I really get what Didion is about. The essays that stuck with me more than the others were On Keeping a Notebook and Goodbye to All That; otherwise, I'm left feeling somewhat distant from the author. "Remember what it is to be me: that is always the point," she writes. Perhaps it will take some time for me to be acquainted with Ms. Didion. ( )

Beautifully written essays from way back in 1967 from a journalist who successfully captured the essence of America as it woke from its idealistic dream into the deep feeling that all was not all right.

Maybe this is old news for today's world, but I can still express my appreciation for one of the best non-fiction writers of the age, exposing sensationalist murders, the seedy underbelly of the Flower Power movement, and the failed idealism of many other movements... and modes of thought not limited to merely people... but the kind tied directly to place.

Hello, America. Take your blinders off. It's time to see the world as it really is. ( )

Gypset.com

This was a recommendation from Laura and it was not only a captivating collection of essays, but also provided great insight in my gf's taste in writing/journalism. It's good!

Didion's lyrical and mysterious prose is highly engaging - it does not wait for you to catch up and requires careful reading to extract all the imagery she's packing in. My favorite essays were "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream", "On Going Home" and "Los Angeles Notebook." The were mysterious, funny and cutting at different turns. I will read more Didion. ( )

Writing felt predatory and hyper-conscious, rather than revelatory.

Joan Didion tried too hard to pretend not to be judging, leaving readers
to come to their own conclusions based on her scanty information.

The horror of no one protecting the little kids on drugs makes the whole scene a nightmare. ( )