Nonfiction

De donde soy

De donde soy

  • Downloads：2342
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-04 18:16:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Joan Didion
  • ISBN：8439739753
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Summary

Joan Didion dedica estas memorias a su California natal， el estado al que， siglos atrás， llegaron sus antepasados y al que ella ató gran parte de su vida y de su obra。 «Este libro representa una exploración de mis propias confusiones acerca del lugar y la forma en que crecí [。。。] unos malentendidos y malinterpretaciones que forman parte de quien soy en tanta medida que todavía hoy solo les hago frente de refilón»， decía Didion sobre un libro tan intelectualmente provocador como íntimo。

Mezclando historia， crónica， memoria y crítica literaria， la autora explora los romances de California con la tierra y con el agua， sus deudas no reconocidas con los ferrocarriles， la industria aeroespacial y con el Gobierno central， así como el contraste entre su culto al individualismo y su fetiche por las cárceles。

Ya sea escribiendo sobre sus antepasados， sobre depredadores sexuales， políticos corruptos o escritores （sin excluirse a sí misma）， Didion vuelve a demostrar aquí su incomparable capacidad de observación。 De donde soy nos regala una mirada única al dibujar un mapa histórico y personal de la Costa Oeste de Estados Unidos， pero también al reflexionar sobre la escritura mientras revisa， a través del arte， la política， la economía y las vivencias de sus antepasados， el ideal de la «tierra prometida» a lo largo de dos siglos。

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Reviews

quinn ，

“There was no believable comfort I could offer my mother: she was right。 They were all old men and it was all San Jose。”of course i loved it but probably my least favorite Didion —the early essays feel a bit disparate and unfocused， full of names and dates。 ultimately comes together， however， as her analysis of California switches from pure history to an understanding of where the state is heading （and who it is leaving behind）。 final chapters regarding her mother make for a strong companion to “There was no believable comfort I could offer my mother: she was right。 They were all old men and it was all San Jose。”of course i loved it but probably my least favorite Didion —the early essays feel a bit disparate and unfocused， full of names and dates。 ultimately comes together， however， as her analysis of California switches from pure history to an understanding of where the state is heading （and who it is leaving behind）。 final chapters regarding her mother make for a strong companion to The Year of Magical Thinking。 naturally i cried。 。。。more

Owen Kleis ，

What I have come to love about Joan Didion’s writing is the effortless way that she combines history， journalism， and personal essay。 In this book， there is a heavy amount of history and research that sadly makes it read like a textbook on California。 It isn’t until the last twenty pages that the personal essay writing， which I had expected when beginning this book， comes out。 She writes for the native Californian—someone， like herself， who finds immense enjoyment in digging up the state’s tumul What I have come to love about Joan Didion’s writing is the effortless way that she combines history， journalism， and personal essay。 In this book， there is a heavy amount of history and research that sadly makes it read like a textbook on California。 It isn’t until the last twenty pages that the personal essay writing， which I had expected when beginning this book， comes out。 She writes for the native Californian—someone， like herself， who finds immense enjoyment in digging up the state’s tumultuous past—and no one else， so perhaps I wasn’t destined to enjoy this book。 。。。more

Jorge Morcillo ，

Agradable recorrido por la historia de California。 Didion se vale de la colonización， el desarrollo， la literatura y su propio bagaje familiar para levantar un fresco dividido en cuatro partes。 De las cuatro mi preferida es la última， que es muy cortita y habla del final de la vida de sus padres。 Sin lugar a dudas un libro ameno de una escritora muy recomendable。 No es lo mejor que he leído de ella， ni mucho menos， pero deja una grata impresión。

Adara ，

Interesting perspective on CaliforniaAs a California native， I enjoyed learning more about the state and my own hometown。 Didion’s historical roots adds an element to the historical tie ins missing from my own family history。 Didion makes a compelling case for what is California， and what drives its residents。 Especially for the working class。 Some of her most compelling essays come towards the end， when we learn more about her and her more recent history。 Overall， a really enjoyable read。

Kerry Shoji ，

Didion examines the myth of an idealized California （of a place where you can reinvent yourself， of progress and change， of a sense of entitlement）， then debunks the myths through investigative research and the framework of her own family which goes back to the 1860s into the 2000s。I was inspired to read this book following the author's recent death。 My family has lived in California since 1900s， but unlike the author's family who lived a privileged life， my family suffered from racial discrimin Didion examines the myth of an idealized California （of a place where you can reinvent yourself， of progress and change， of a sense of entitlement）， then debunks the myths through investigative research and the framework of her own family which goes back to the 1860s into the 2000s。I was inspired to read this book following the author's recent death。 My family has lived in California since 1900s， but unlike the author's family who lived a privileged life， my family suffered from racial discrimination and economic hardship。 She enlighten me by connecting the dots to show how California was "stamped from the beginning" by corporate interests （Southern Pacific， real estate developers） that are leading to its downfall。 。。。more

Theresa ，

3。5 for meI loved certain parts and sections， but couldn’t stand others。 The absence of any real discussion about race in California / race and California was more than noticeable， especially in a story about contradictions。

leah ，

2。5instead of a memoir， this is more of a historical account of didion’s heritage and ancestry in california。 i can imagine this would be interesting to some， particularly native californians who would enjoy learning about the history of their home state， but unfortunately it wasn’t what i was looking for， nor what i was expecting due to this book being labelled as joan didion’s ‘first ever memoir’， which it isn’t。 if you’re looking for a memoir by joan didion， i’d highly recommend the year of 2。5instead of a memoir， this is more of a historical account of didion’s heritage and ancestry in california。 i can imagine this would be interesting to some， particularly native californians who would enjoy learning about the history of their home state， but unfortunately it wasn’t what i was looking for， nor what i was expecting due to this book being labelled as joan didion’s ‘first ever memoir’， which it isn’t。 if you’re looking for a memoir by joan didion， i’d highly recommend the year of magical thinking。 but there’s no denying that didion is a fantastic writer， and i enjoyed the last 50 or so pages the most。 。。。more

Debra Erickson ，

Didion weaves a fascinating story of her family's multigenerational experience in California along with an account of the history of the settlement of the state。 From the founding of the transcontinental railroad and development of the aircraft industry to the creation of the state mental health system and industrialized prison system， she provides an important look at the people and events that helped shape the state。 Didion weaves a fascinating story of her family's multigenerational experience in California along with an account of the history of the settlement of the state。 From the founding of the transcontinental railroad and development of the aircraft industry to the creation of the state mental health system and industrialized prison system， she provides an important look at the people and events that helped shape the state。 。。。more

Tess Buckley ，

The lakewood long read was my favorite。 I enjoyed the second half more than the first

Colette ，

This took me a while to get into but I liked it in the end。 I bought it at dog eared books in San Francisco and I wish I had read more of it before/during my visit to California。 It’s really interesting， and I especially liked the chapters about the underbelly of the military contracts paying for everything in the California suburbs。 I also liked the stories about pioneers， I feel like not many pioneer narratives are that unromantic。 The book was was pretty meandering and I never really knew whe This took me a while to get into but I liked it in the end。 I bought it at dog eared books in San Francisco and I wish I had read more of it before/during my visit to California。 It’s really interesting， and I especially liked the chapters about the underbelly of the military contracts paying for everything in the California suburbs。 I also liked the stories about pioneers， I feel like not many pioneer narratives are that unromantic。 The book was was pretty meandering and I never really knew where we were headed next， so even though it is a pretty short book it took me three weeks to read。 It was also my first Joan Didion and I wonder if it’s more appealing to people familiar with her style and biography。 。。。more

Amy Jane ，

As might be expected， this isn’t a typical memoir。 The clue is in the title， ‘WHERE I Was From。’ The majority of this short book lays out the people that came before her family and （more importantly） the history of the land which they made home。 But whether writing about the California vast landscape and it’s rivers， or it’s modern industry and prison system， Didion always does so with open eyes。 There is very little about the author herself besides a family tree early on and more personal infor As might be expected， this isn’t a typical memoir。 The clue is in the title， ‘WHERE I Was From。’ The majority of this short book lays out the people that came before her family and （more importantly） the history of the land which they made home。 But whether writing about the California vast landscape and it’s rivers， or it’s modern industry and prison system， Didion always does so with open eyes。 There is very little about the author herself besides a family tree early on and more personal information in the last 20 pages， so not quite what I was expecting。 。。。more

Stan Stott ，

Didion effortlessly inserts herself into a factual account of Californian history and landscape， and more specifically that of the over-farmed and overlooked Central Valley at the heart of the Golden State。 Reading this under the Pacific sun on the very Berkeley campus about which Didion writes regarding her time spent there as a student was something else。 At times tedious， overly meticulous and perhaps insignificant to those less acquainted with the scrutinising empiricism that is the Californ Didion effortlessly inserts herself into a factual account of Californian history and landscape， and more specifically that of the over-farmed and overlooked Central Valley at the heart of the Golden State。 Reading this under the Pacific sun on the very Berkeley campus about which Didion writes regarding her time spent there as a student was something else。 At times tedious， overly meticulous and perhaps insignificant to those less acquainted with the scrutinising empiricism that is the Californian sociopolitical condition。 However， the last （and shortest） segment — Part Four — soars above the whole prior account and quite literally stopped me in my tracks。 I am very glad I read this while still living “across the Sierras”。 I come away from this book thinking of California as a bizarre land of contradictions more than anything。 And you can never quite settle with these contradictions unless “California”， like for Didion， runs in your blood。 But indeed there’s yet another contradiction: does “California” actually run in anyone’s blood？ 。。。more

SV Jones ，

well written as always。 didion manages to leave out any mention of people of color and native americans: otherwise known as people who were already in california and built california。 her ability to leave these people out is another way to confirm that this story really is american。 it is memoir， in the way didion does memoir， it is limited but still has value as far as calling out the contradictions inherent in the american myth （untrue， exclusionary & unexamined）。 she says somewhere in the boo well written as always。 didion manages to leave out any mention of people of color and native americans: otherwise known as people who were already in california and built california。 her ability to leave these people out is another way to confirm that this story really is american。 it is memoir， in the way didion does memoir， it is limited but still has value as far as calling out the contradictions inherent in the american myth （untrue， exclusionary & unexamined）。 she says somewhere in the book about how californians like to be fooled， which is a true pillar of the American Dream （capitals used ironically）。 。。。more

Pat McDermott ，

Deeply admire Didion’s skill in telling family history as state history。 The story-telling is cinematic: family close-up， and then pulling back so you see the wider picture。

Megan Davis ，

I am 100% bias when giving this review because not only am I from California but I also love Didions writingHer coverage of what it means to be from and the culture of California is so good because it doesn’t focus on how California is portrayed in pop culture with surfing/celebrities/tech companies but rather the underbelly of ca and the foundation of it Though it had a slow start for me the further you got in the better it got plus a quick read with only 226 pgsIf you want to understand true C I am 100% bias when giving this review because not only am I from California but I also love Didions writingHer coverage of what it means to be from and the culture of California is so good because it doesn’t focus on how California is portrayed in pop culture with surfing/celebrities/tech companies but rather the underbelly of ca and the foundation of it Though it had a slow start for me the further you got in the better it got plus a quick read with only 226 pgsIf you want to understand true Californian delusion and pride ， this is the book for u 。。。more

Harper ，

The thing that first drew me to Joan Didion's writing was its rich sense of atmosphere。 I thought that this book would be like that -- given that its title， Where I Was From， sounds like a license to walk down memory lane。 But this book is actually a damnation of what she calls the "pernicious nostalgia" of her earliest work。 （That phrase is used with reference to Run River but the nostalgia is evident in all her work of the 60s and 70s。）Early on in the book Didion talks about picking up a revis The thing that first drew me to Joan Didion's writing was its rich sense of atmosphere。 I thought that this book would be like that -- given that its title， Where I Was From， sounds like a license to walk down memory lane。 But this book is actually a damnation of what she calls the "pernicious nostalgia" of her earliest work。 （That phrase is used with reference to Run River but the nostalgia is evident in all her work of the 60s and 70s。）Early on in the book Didion talks about picking up a revisionist history of California in order to learn the truth about the past， only to put it down when she found herself quoted twice。 That made me laugh， even if it is a bit of a humblebrag。 So this book ends up being Didion's attempt at revisionist history。 It's an attempt to sort out the truths among the lies she was told as a child， and try to see her life and her family's life within the arc of a larger history。 The first part of the book focuses on her family's history， so I expected the rest of the book to do so as well， but that wasn't the case。 The second part focuses on literary and artistic depictions of California -- Frank Norris， Jack London， Robinson Jeffers （in passing）， Thomas Kinkade， and others。 All this is done with reference to historical research， but it's clear that Didion hasn't researched the period exhaustively。 The third part was perhaps the most interesting， about the Spur Posse who terrorized Lakewood， CA， in the early 1990s。 This appeared to have been a regular journalism piece that was simply folded into this book。 I might have resented it with someone else， but it was actually very interesting and did indeed connect up to the ideas in the other sections。 The final section is about the passing away of Didion's parents。Yes， this is not a highly atmospheric book， as I said in the beginning。 Didion is trying to connect the dots， trying to theorize about society and history。 This is exactly the kind of abstract work that she says she is unfit for in her famous essay "Why I Write。" Well， that was written in 1975 and a lot had changed。 Or maybe it was always a bit too self-deprecating。It's hard to explain the total effect the book's had on me， and what my interest in it is。 The book is a very partial portrait of California， and makes almost no mention of Indigenous peoples or people of colour。 As a theorization of California history， it's severely lacking。 But even as I see that， I feel that Didion has contributed something irreplaceable to my understanding of the world。 I appreciate how wholly Didion accepted the untruths of her community， and how painfully she fought within herself to find out the truth。 For all that it leaves out， it gives us a powerful portrait of white settler psychology。 And for me the book had the excitement of this internal conflict and gradual discovery。It's also the book of hers that has felt most relevant for today。 She shows us how the old-fashioned settler communities like the one she grew up in became the booming world of suburban property development。 Then， in the chapter on the Spur Posse， we see these communities in decline。 It sheds light on the present。I think this book falls short of her earlier work in literary quality， but it provides insights and critical reflections that contextualize it in a much-needed way。 It's also a good read on its own， with all its stories and histories。 。。。more

Milky Mixer ，

I like Joan Didion a lot， but for whatever reason I couldn't crack this book to find the poignant， personal， and cool observations that make her writing so fascinating and honest。 Not really what I expected for a book about California， I guess。 I like Joan Didion a lot， but for whatever reason I couldn't crack this book to find the poignant， personal， and cool observations that make her writing so fascinating and honest。 Not really what I expected for a book about California， I guess。 。。。more

Sylvia Johnson ，

An insightful look into the history of California written by someone whose pioneer family has lived there for generations。 She points out that even though Californians see themselves as self-sufficient， the federal government transformed the land for agriculture， extraction， and habitation through the years。

Jodie ，

If you can make it through the drudgery of Part One， the rest of the book is pure Didion and reads much faster。 For a somewhat depressing look at California， it really is a beautiful reflection of how where we grew up and the family stories passed down influence who we become。 Often in ways not recognized until a life event puts everything into perspective。

Alba Pastor ，

Joan Didion es la mejor cronista del Estados Unidos de los años 60 y 70。 Su literatura abraza la novela y el estilo periodístico como si se tratara de un mismo ente。 El retrato de un sueño americano que nunca llega a despertar， el repaso de una California sumergida en el movimiento hippy， las drogas y el sufrimiento， y una crítica incisiva y perfecta sobre el poder político y la corrupción。«Esta es una historia de amor y de muerte en la tierra dorada。。。»

Oliver ，

incisive but oh so cold and pessimistic

Days ，

very much California to it’s core， felt very familiar

Hope Matheson Slowik ，

I could have used this book as a young person growing up in El Dorado County， thinking I’d have to move as far away as possible to be anything remotely interesting。

Moranda ，

3。5 ⭐️ Honestly， not my favorite Didion book。 The family history felt a bit dry especially in the beginning。 It picked up a bit more about 70 pages in but still was a bit of a slog。 It all felt kind of disjointed。 I finally got back into towards the end。 I really enjoyed the chapters about the planned California community but again didn’t fully understand their place in the book。 Since Didion passed I’ve been reading through her books and there are definitely other books you’re better off readin 3。5 ⭐️ Honestly， not my favorite Didion book。 The family history felt a bit dry especially in the beginning。 It picked up a bit more about 70 pages in but still was a bit of a slog。 It all felt kind of disjointed。 I finally got back into towards the end。 I really enjoyed the chapters about the planned California community but again didn’t fully understand their place in the book。 Since Didion passed I’ve been reading through her books and there are definitely other books you’re better off reading from her body of work。 。。。more

Liz M。 ，

DNF at page 40

Rachel Bernstein ，

loved。

John ，

The title suggests a memoir。 However， if this book is a memoir， its more of a collage rather than an easy to follow narrative， to paraphrase another reviewer of this book。 I am most familiar with Didion as an essayist and this book has the feel of a collection of essays， like The White Album or Slouching Towards Bethlehem。 Once you get use to this layout， the book made a little more sense to me。 Some chapters deal with Didion's family and childhood but not in a chronological order。 Interspersed The title suggests a memoir。 However， if this book is a memoir， its more of a collage rather than an easy to follow narrative， to paraphrase another reviewer of this book。 I am most familiar with Didion as an essayist and this book has the feel of a collection of essays， like The White Album or Slouching Towards Bethlehem。 Once you get use to this layout， the book made a little more sense to me。 Some chapters deal with Didion's family and childhood but not in a chronological order。 Interspersed are chapters about the early （American） settlers， the myth of California as the land of opportunity and prosperity and how the California dream turned nightmarish when major economic players found better prospects elsewhere。 。。。more

Reeb ，

I'm sure people who have a connection to Joan， through reading her previous books or know the landscape she lived in and wrote about would thoroughly enjoy reading this book。 I got bored early on and returned the book to the library。 I'm sure people who have a connection to Joan， through reading her previous books or know the landscape she lived in and wrote about would thoroughly enjoy reading this book。 I got bored early on and returned the book to the library。 。。。more

Erin Chandler ，

I always love Mrs。 Didion。。。 always learn from her， always enjoy her voice， always appreciate her point of view。

Scott ，

California life and native Californians is the theme here， with a focus on how people’s views and reality can differ。 This was a fairly personal book for Didion as a fair amount of it deals with her family’s long term California roots。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=De donde soy

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=De donde soy&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,De donde soy&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0