Slouching Towards Bethlehem
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- Author：Joan Didion
- ISBN：0374531382
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Summary
The first nonfiction work by one of the most distinctive prose stylists of our era， Slouching Towards Bethlehem remains， forty years after its first publication， the essential portrait of America— particularly California—in the sixties。 It focuses on such subjects as John Wayne and Howard Hughes， growing up a girl in California， ruminating on the nature of good and evil in a Death Valley motel room， and， especially， the essence of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury， the heart of the counterculture。
Reviews
Briana
，
On December 23， 2021 the prolific Joan Didion passed away at the age of 87 years old。 Perhaps foolishly， I always thought of her as someone who simply could not die and in many ways， I'm correct because she is a legend and her words will live on for generations to come。 I first read Slouching Towards Bethlehem in different installments throughout the years。 I have not read a full collection of these essays until recently so I decided to do so after the news about Joan Didion dropped。There are va On December 23， 2021 the prolific Joan Didion passed away at the age of 87 years old。 Perhaps foolishly， I always thought of her as someone who simply could not die and in many ways， I'm correct because she is a legend and her words will live on for generations to come。 I first read Slouching Towards Bethlehem in different installments throughout the years。 I have not read a full collection of these essays until recently so I decided to do so after the news about Joan Didion dropped。There are varying degrees of enjoyment versus tediousness in these pages。 While there are some essays that I don't care for， I appreciate a lot of the frankness of other essays。 The 1960s and 70s in the United States was a time of such radical change after the repression and wars of the first half of the 20th century。 Joan Didion perfectly encapsulated the feelings of freedom and what it means to be a human at this time。 So much of her experience is so radically different from my own but I felt a kindred spirit within these pages that I don't always feel in a book of essays。Perhaps what stands out the most is that the reader will not feel as though they're being judged or talked down to。 I think that Joan Didion approached life and these essays with an equal mix of wide-eyed curiosity and sharp intelligence。 She was open to listening and learning but did not shy away from admitting her own initial biases。 That's what makes this experience real and interesting。 。。。more
Flo
，
Immersed in a perception so carefully directed at details; the tiny glimpses of ironic law pursuits， childhood movie heroes and ghastly desert wind， I felt as if I was sitting at the very epicentre of Didions memory， experiencing a California so intricate and metaphorical and yet so non-graspable that I am still not able to say whether the book left me with any more conclusive idea of the deserts， valleys and people she describes。 In any case I believe， that would be missing the point 。
linn
，
probably my fav didion so far， i keep thinking about 'on self-respect'（3。5/5） probably my fav didion so far， i keep thinking about 'on self-respect'（3。5/5） 。。。more
samara
，
first didion i’ve finished！ i really liked it。 i will probably reread。 it is 3:55 am and i must wash my face。 goodnight。
Pedro
，
“However long we postpone it， we eventually lie down alone in that notoriously uncomfortable bed， the one we make ourselves。 Whether or not we sleep in it depends， of course， on wether or not we respect ourselves。”You will be forever missed
Ashwin Dasgupta
，
loved the writing style， witty and unafraid。 writing as an incisive and humorous observer to an atomizing society makes an easy book for me to like。 RIP。
Saint Akim
，
Quel Banger！
KJK
，
joan didion is a legend。 goodbye to all that。
Hal Carim
，
A classic of neo-journalism， Slouching Towards Bethlehem is the book that emerged from Ms。 Didion's collection of chronicles of the 60s Hippie movement at its epicenter in Haight-Ashbury - a clear-eyed observation of it as less of a counterculture & media phenomenon but that of a dropout drug scene。 R。I。P。 to one of the most insightful authors of American Culture #GoodReads #BooksChallenge2021 #55/52 #Pinterest #Books2021 A classic of neo-journalism， Slouching Towards Bethlehem is the book that emerged from Ms。 Didion's collection of chronicles of the 60s Hippie movement at its epicenter in Haight-Ashbury - a clear-eyed observation of it as less of a counterculture & media phenomenon but that of a dropout drug scene。 R。I。P。 to one of the most insightful authors of American Culture #GoodReads #BooksChallenge2021 #55/52 #Pinterest #Books2021 。。。more
Daniel Posthumus
，
tSlouching Towards Bethlehem （Joan Didion’s first book， published in 1968） is prefaced with a poem， William Butler Yeats’s “Second Coming。” Its words have entered our language like no other （is any line of poetry so widely understood as “things fall apart: the center cannot hold”？）， and those words have a strange quality of always seeming applicable， just more so in some less sane times than other， saner ones。 Didion titled the book after the final line of Yeats’s poem because， as she writes， “c tSlouching Towards Bethlehem （Joan Didion’s first book， published in 1968） is prefaced with a poem， William Butler Yeats’s “Second Coming。” Its words have entered our language like no other （is any line of poetry so widely understood as “things fall apart: the center cannot hold”？）， and those words have a strange quality of always seeming applicable， just more so in some less sane times than other， saner ones。 Didion titled the book after the final line of Yeats’s poem because， as she writes， “certain lines from the Yeats poem…have reverberated in my inner ear as if they were surgically implanted there。” The magnum opus of the collection， too， is titled “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” and， though Didion protests it， one can’t help but feel the mood of Yeats’s poem pervade all her essays， from those concerning John Wayne to those centered on an idealistic Maoist in San Francisco。 The time Didion wrote about then， the people and the movements that shook the earth， bear a startling resemblance to the times we live through now。 Who watched the events on January 6th at the Capitol and didn’t recall the words， “The blood-dimmed tide is loosed， and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned”？ Who witnessed the event， the meek objections of too many afterwards， and didn’t feel the words “The best lack all conviction， while the worst are full of passionate intensity” play in their ears， as if in a loop？ Who heard the brave officers’ testimony before the January 6th Commission and fret at the apocalyptic nature of it all， the videos， the threats， how close we came to collapse？ Dread pervades every breath， every promise halfheartedly made and absentmindedly broken。 Dread is that with which we await a future that never comes， endure a pandemic that never ends with each new strain of the virus。tDidion’s book doesn’t perfectly adhere to this theme （she didn’t intend it to）， but much of it does in a poignant， often indirect， way。 I often found myself wondering what stories she would tell today， what psyches she would explore now， and what myths she would dig out of the collective consciousness in the time of TikTok and a modern-day Xanadu on a Florida golf course。tDidion’s first essay is one of my favorites—”Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream。” Its subject could very well be that of a Lana del Rey song （the essay’s opening line is “This is a story about love and death in the golden land”）。 Didion writes about the trial of Lucille Miller， convicted of murder in the 1st degree for daring to dream （or so we， with our grand sentiment， wish to believe）。 Miller drove to get milk with her husband on October 7， 1964， before the Volkswagen they were driving in suddenly burst into flames…with her （soon-dead） husband still inside。 I’ve sought to describe the death of Lucille Miller’s husband in the most mundane way possible， but still the essay practically writes itself。tDidion says the state’s case had nothing to do with Miller， rather it was about “the revelation that the dream was teaching the dreamers how to live。” The sin Miller committed wasn’t murder， but rather that she wanted too much。 She committed the double indemnity （which deserves its own classification of crime）。 The only story to explain Lucille Miller was one of dreams， dreams dreamt too hard and wasted away。 The pandemic has made us too desperate for romance and love， so desperate that—I’m sure to many—a double indemnity-style plot to chase the mythical American Dream doesn’t sound too bad。tJohn Wayne is the American star， no other person has been so deeply embedded into the national identity。 He’s a myth。 “John Wayne: A Love Song” details Didion’s visit to the set of Wayne’s 165th picture （its name isn’t relevant） in Mexico。 It being placed in Mexico， interestingly， doesn’t diminish the distinct American aura of what Wayne’s doing。 As filming wraps， Wayne and his buddies （it seems a happy accident the film was made at all） seem reticent to complete their task—after all， what else do we ask of John Wayne than to make movies that indulge our twisted， nationalistic fantasies？ We’re forced to confront an excessively uncomfortable truth: the mortality of a myth， a mortality that approaches stealthily but whose silence blunts none of its awesome force。 A girl offered Wayne a tattered Bible， and “twice John Wayne told her that ‘there’s a lot of places I go where that wouldn’t fit in。’” We haven’t had a second coming of John Wayne。tThe essay ends with Didion recounting three Mexican guitar players’ rendition of “Red River Valley”: “They did not quite get the beat right， but even now I can hear them， in another country and a long time later， even as I tell you this。” “Red River Valley” is， of course， an incredibly romantic song， one of my favorites:Then come sit by my side if you love meDo not hasten to bid me adieuJust remember the Red River ValleyAnd the cowboy that’s loved you so trueJohn Wayne—the racism， homophobia， and sexism—is a product of a bygone era， one in which we could have myths。 Didion neither mythologizes nor de-mythologizes Wayne—despite her best efforts， the John Wayne she writes of is still the product of a myth he’s not quite dissociated from （but also doesn’t entirely embody）， one blunted by the alternatingly howling and soft winds of time。tPerhaps my favorite essay is also the smallest， “Comrade Laski， C。P。U。S。A。 （M。-L。）”。 Laski is less a man and more an organ of ideology （a type of person Didion loved to write about）， a Maoist who had “nothing in common with the passionate personalities who tend to turn up on the New Left。” Didion writes that “his place in the geography of the American Left is， in short， an almost impossibly lonely and quixotic one， unpopular， unpragmatic。” An obsession with ideology for the sake of ideology drives Laski—a caricature whose soul would fit right in with Bolaño’s band of Visceral Realists。 tI think there are plenty of Laskis left， ideologues who condemn themselves to reading Mao’s poems （or the poems of some other mad man or woman） in corners of bookshops。 They are impervious to the changing times—existing outside the context of history。 Didion closes， writing “You see what the world of Michael Laski is: a minor but perilous triumph of being over nothingness。” Perhaps we’re all Laskis， reading our own Maos in our own bookshops as part of our own parties。 tAnother essays deals—albeit only indirectly—with Howard Hughes （“7000 Romaine， Los Angeles 38”）。 Didion inquires as to why we idolize Hughes as a folk hero， a different sort of national hero than Wayne。 Didion claims Hughes’ mythologization reflects an American desire for money and power not for either’s own sake， but rather for absolute freedom。 Wayne was never free， no matter how open the desert he rode on was。 But Hughes， there was a free man。 Free to shun society， to haunt himself in pure solitude。 Didion calls Hughes “the last private man， the dream we no longer admit。”tThe essay takes on a cruel irony when， for the last year， we have had Hughes’ freedom foisted upon us。 We’ve had nothing but our imaginations as we live in the anti-social world Didion claims we’ve always wanted。 We’ve fallen since the time when we were a nation that “appears to prize social virtues” （remember when Donald Trump was president？） and I can’t help but feel the divide between what we officially want and unofficially want （even before the pandemic） was closing。 There’s less shame in profiting off suffering， in ignoring the plight of others for the sake of one’s own welfare， and irrational pursuance of even more irrational longings。 A whole young generation is being taught that to live like Howard Hughes is to live as nobly as to live like Adlai Stevenson。tUndoubtedly the collection’s high point is its titular piece。 It’s opening salvo is a master class in tone-setting:“The center was not holding。 It was a country of bankruptcy notices and public-auction announcements and commonplace reports of casual killings and misplaced children and abandoned homes and vandals who misplaced even the four-letter words they scrawled。”The essay follows Didion’s experiences in San Francisco with a colorful cast of characters in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood， known as a locus of hippy culture， runaways， and a sort of chaos。tThere are a great many poignant moments， but none stick out more than those of kids and their dreams。 During a time when everything was meant to be possible—from landing on the moon to impressive social change—many in Didion’s world find nothing but apprehension in their dreams。 Didion asks two kids what they wanted to be when they were very young。 One says he never thought about it， while the other says she wanted to be a veterinarian once。 Now they hide in their friend’s apartment from the girl’s “All-American bitch” of a mother and law enforcement， talking about jobs they’ll never get， and futures they’ll never have。tMax and Sharon， in love， plan to go to Africa and India and live off the land there， vaguely proclaiming “roots and things” to no one in particular。 But Max is too busy worrying that “heaven and hell are both in one’s karma” and about his old girl， who’s now with Steve， a neurotic painter。 Two run-aways plan to get married in Golden Gate Park。 A kindergartener’s mothers gets the child stoned。 Didion gets people to talk like no one else can。tIn the preface， Didion writes that a great deal of readers missed the point of the essay。 I don’t understand how one can。 The point is as relevant then as it is now。 There’s a lostness to living， a lostness that rises and falls seemingly periodically。 There aren’t hippies now， and I don’t know who hippies would be today。 Yet the anxiety that drove the people of Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s is all too easy to find today， an anxiety only exacerbated by the pandemic。 The center is not holding。 We hear promising job numbers and a ‘recovery，’ but we know many things can’t be recovered。 There was a transience to the movement， but also a tragic permanence。 One doesn’t believe that the hippy will become a veterinarian， or that Max and Sharon will easily forget their dreams of Africa and India once they return to their ho-hum homes in Middle America Suburbia。 These dreams live on in the shadows of our minds， consigned to the occasional wonder， but flourish in minds kept stale by quarantine， hearts starved by the pandemic。 All that’s left is to find the Haight Street of today。 。。。more
Bonnie
，
The majority of Joan Didion’s work is banal， tedious。 Seductive sentences full of promise that don’t quite have the power to finish what they start。 The white ultra privileged feminist who consider Didion their MFA Queen only shows us just how bad publishing is today。Reading Joan Didion requires a superhuman strength of willpower just to get through one meaty paragraph without having to go back and reread it again and again。 It feels like one is consuming nothing but air， no substance， no gratif The majority of Joan Didion’s work is banal， tedious。 Seductive sentences full of promise that don’t quite have the power to finish what they start。 The white ultra privileged feminist who consider Didion their MFA Queen only shows us just how bad publishing is today。Reading Joan Didion requires a superhuman strength of willpower just to get through one meaty paragraph without having to go back and reread it again and again。 It feels like one is consuming nothing but air， no substance， no gratification。 Just an ultra privileged narcissistic white woman writing about herself， in which she has absolutely nothing to say。Women will claim that men who read Bukowski， or David Foster Wallace， or Catcher in the Rye by J。 D。 Salinger as a RED FLAG and that these men should be avoided at all cost。The same goes for white privileged feminist women。 I can give you a list as long as my arm of women “authors” whom I consider Red Flags。 Many of these “writers” are primarily located at a certain women’s literary agency， and quelle surprise， all of these women aspire to write just like Joan Didion。 And trust me when I say， all of these “writers” at the white faux progressive literary agency are not very good。 Save your money， save your time。 You can find these wealthy， entitled， Uber privileged performative white women who call themselves progressive feminist with pronouns in their bio and hashtag #blacklivesmatter。 Ask these “writers” just exactly how much time and money and resources they have volunteered towards Black Lives。 We already know the answer to that one。 。。。more
brooke ❧
，
Picked up this book for the second time， before hearing of Joan’s passing。 Heartbroken by the news I continued reading this， in a way I never had before。 Realizing how truly magical Joan’s writing is I hung onto every word throwing myself into the fantastic imagery she provides。 I hope to someday be able to write with such distinction and power， rest in peace Joan Didion。
Dominic Ceja
，
I liked this a lot。 Sometimes the writing felt slow， particularly in the historical topics （such as Alcatraz）， but the personal stories were sublime。 Especially the last essay about New York。 I just loved that one so much。 I will re-read that one for years to come。 I can’t wait to explore Didion’s works even more。 It’s a shame it took me this long。
morefiction
，
Incredibly saddened by the passing of Joan Didion， what an incredible writer！Whilst my personal enjyoment may have varried throughout this collection， Didion's talent and incredible voice are undeniable。 Truly loved the majority of these essays。 Will be picking up "Play it as it lays" asap。RIP Joan Didion， Incredibly saddened by the passing of Joan Didion， what an incredible writer！Whilst my personal enjyoment may have varried throughout this collection， Didion's talent and incredible voice are undeniable。 Truly loved the majority of these essays。 Will be picking up "Play it as it lays" asap。RIP Joan Didion， 。。。more
freya
，
didion has been such a huge influence on me as a reader and writer， rip joan 🕊
Paul Banjawan
，
i didnt really care about the 'lifestyles in the golden land' ， but i really love the rest of the essays specially 'on keeping a notebook' and 'goodbye to all that'i might have to reread some of the essays someday。 maybe i would've connect with them。 i didnt really care about the 'lifestyles in the golden land' ， but i really love the rest of the essays specially 'on keeping a notebook' and 'goodbye to all that'i might have to reread some of the essays someday。 maybe i would've connect with them。 。。。more
Elisa Garcia
，
joan didion es la it girl de california
Wynne
，
I don't normally give this many stars， but WOW！ I had read the Year of Magical Thinking， but I am not sure why I have not read more。Several of the pieces dealt with experiences or places I have been too。 In the piece "Notes from a Native Daughter" I could see my home town， Stockton， which is 60 miles south of Sacramento。 And the natives share so many characteristics and attitudes。 And then there was John Wayne。 And my then boyfriend， now husband， and I also adventured in Guymas。 But really， it i I don't normally give this many stars， but WOW！ I had read the Year of Magical Thinking， but I am not sure why I have not read more。Several of the pieces dealt with experiences or places I have been too。 In the piece "Notes from a Native Daughter" I could see my home town， Stockton， which is 60 miles south of Sacramento。 And the natives share so many characteristics and attitudes。 And then there was John Wayne。 And my then boyfriend， now husband， and I also adventured in Guymas。 But really， it is her amazing writing。 I will be haunting the used bookstores for more。 。。。more
Natalie Baxter
，
love her personal essays enough to make up for some others I don’t quite understand
Kyle C
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There is much praise for Didion's voice， her pared sentences， her elliptical style， her scathing New Journalism， her tone of disenchanted critique， her skepticism of saccharine myth。 But for me， Slouching Towards Bethlehem is an essayistic triumph in deconstruction。 Didion doesn't mock the subject she questions; she probes the unsaid; she exposes the internal contradictions and prevarications; she turns geography into anthropology， California into critique。 "7000 Romaine， Los Angeles 38" is a pe There is much praise for Didion's voice， her pared sentences， her elliptical style， her scathing New Journalism， her tone of disenchanted critique， her skepticism of saccharine myth。 But for me， Slouching Towards Bethlehem is an essayistic triumph in deconstruction。 Didion doesn't mock the subject she questions; she probes the unsaid; she exposes the internal contradictions and prevarications; she turns geography into anthropology， California into critique。 "7000 Romaine， Los Angeles 38" is a perfect example: at 7000 Romaine， there is a welcome sign but no one is welcome。 The residence is occupied by the entrepreneur and film director， Howard Hughes， a wealthy magnate engaged in shady business， a contradictory figure of public scandal and shielded privacy。 But Didion's essay doesn't try to disentangle the gossip and discover the real Howard。 Instead， as it turns out， what interests Didion is America's obsession with people like Howard Hughes （"trailing a legend of desperation and power and white sneakers"）， who embody the exact opposite of the publicly enshrined ideals of social progress， benefaction， charity。 Didion's essay isn't mawkish moralization but rather broader cultural critique that unhinges the usual cliches （put away platitudes about power and riches; America has its own idiosyncratic conception of freedom and privacy）。 In each of her essays， Didion shifts the center， upends the conventional mythology and turns her subject inside-out。 。。。more
Dawn
，
By sheer accident， I was listening to this book when Didion died shortly before Christmas 2021。
Jhoanna
，
📚📚📚1/2
Susan Tunis
，
I don't know if you're like me， but there are always a certain number of classic books on your literal or metaphoric TBR shelf that you'll get to "one of these days"。 Slouching Towards Bethlehem was one such book on my shelf。I've read other of her collections， but never this， her most famous。 Upon learning of her death， it seemed clear this was the right time。 And aside from honoring her memory in this manner， there was something a bit magical in the timing。Ms。 Didion was a justifiably acclaimed I don't know if you're like me， but there are always a certain number of classic books on your literal or metaphoric TBR shelf that you'll get to "one of these days"。 Slouching Towards Bethlehem was one such book on my shelf。I've read other of her collections， but never this， her most famous。 Upon learning of her death， it seemed clear this was the right time。 And aside from honoring her memory in this manner， there was something a bit magical in the timing。Ms。 Didion was a justifiably acclaimed writer， and her prose sparkles throughout。 There's a lot of California in this book， and I've only just returned to the state after a nearly two year absence。 Most of these essays were written in the decade leading to my birth。 They're of a time I never knew， but they hold up fantastically today。 As is often the case， I was listening to the audiobook， read perfectly by Diane Keaton。 And when she got to the title essay， set memorably in San Francisco's Haight， where was I？ I was on Haight Street in San Francisco。 Timing。 And I could see the city she portrayed all around me。But I could also see her Sacramento， and LA， and Hawaii。 These essays ranged from memoir to crime to pop culture。 All were interesting。 That ain't bad， 50 or 60 years after first being published。 Rest in peace， Joan Didion， and thank you for this legacy。 。。。more
Jordan Rowe
，
RIP Joan 💔
Sean Davy
，
It is a sad coincidence that the day I finish my first of Didion’s books， only a few days after discovering what a master of prose she is， is the day she dies。 Joan was amazing in this。 It’s sad I will never be able to read something ‘new’ by her but comforting that I have her whole catalogue still to go through。 Rest in Peace Joan。
Mouli
，
Quite easily one of my favourite books and favourite collection of essays of all times。 It is kind of surreal that she passed away as I was half way through the Los Angeles Notebook last evening， so it felt like I needed to finish it before anything else， in her honour。 💖 May you rest in peace， and in beautiful prose that keeps our records as a society - complicated and human。
Alex Sitar
，
such a surreal day to have finished reading this， ready in peace Joan ❤️
Hana So
，
Goodbye Joan 🕊
Savvina
，
I was probably unfair in my review of The White Album but I remember being immensly frustrated while reading it。 It might've been a matter of wrong timing because this book blew me away。 Everything was so interesting， well written and poignant。 Most of these essays will probably stay with me in one way or another。 To say that Didion is a good writer is a given。 Everything flows much better in this volume than White Album but that makes sense since this is the more popular book。 Through her I fee I was probably unfair in my review of The White Album but I remember being immensly frustrated while reading it。 It might've been a matter of wrong timing because this book blew me away。 Everything was so interesting， well written and poignant。 Most of these essays will probably stay with me in one way or another。 To say that Didion is a good writer is a given。 Everything flows much better in this volume than White Album but that makes sense since this is the more popular book。 Through her I feel like I know the state of California intimately。 I could also appreciate her dry humour much better here。Another thing of note is this moment: "Someone works out the numerology of my name and the name of the photographer I’m with。 The photographers is all wliite and the sea （“If I were to make you some beads， see， I’d do it mainly in white，” he is told）， but mine has a double death symbol。" which if you know the story of her later life is absolutely chilling。*Edit* I finished this book and wrote this review the morning the 23rd and Joan Didion passed away in the evening of that same day。 What a massive coincidence！ Rest in peace。 。。。more
El
，