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The White Album

The White Album

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  • Create Date：2021-06-28 09:52:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Joan Didion
  • ISBN：0008284687
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Summary

Joan Didion's hugely influential collection of essays which defines， for many， the America which rose from the ashes of the Sixties。 We tell ourselves stories in order to live。 The princess is caged in the consulate。 The man with the candy will lead the children into the sea。 In this now legendary journey into the hinterland of the American psyche， Didion searches for stories as the Sixties implode。 She waits for Jim Morrison to show up， visits the Black Panthers in prison， parties with Janis Joplin and buys dresses with Charles Manson's girls。 She and her reader emerge， cauterized， from this devastating tour of that age of self discovery into the harsh light of the morning after。 Author BiographyJOAN DIDION is the author of five novels and nine books of nonfiction， including The Year of Magical Thinking and Blue Nights。 Born in Sacramento， California， Didion now lives in New York City。 - The White Album By Joan Didion （Paperback）

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Reviews

Julia Sampaio ，

Joan é uma pessoa muito estranha e obsessiva。 Ela fala apenas dos temas mais triviais possíveis porém com um aspecto lírico， parece que eu to conversando com ela dentro de um sonho。 Acho que não existe ninguém igual a ela， uma pessoa com falas/ideias tão "sonhadoras" mas ao mesmo tempo muito pessimista e com uma visão entristecida das coisas， sempre pensando no fim e na insignificância de tudo。 Ela vive no mundinho lírico triste obsessivo e solitário dela， e tem um raciocínio que eu entendo but Joan é uma pessoa muito estranha e obsessiva。 Ela fala apenas dos temas mais triviais possíveis porém com um aspecto lírico， parece que eu to conversando com ela dentro de um sonho。 Acho que não existe ninguém igual a ela， uma pessoa com falas/ideias tão "sonhadoras" mas ao mesmo tempo muito pessimista e com uma visão entristecida das coisas， sempre pensando no fim e na insignificância de tudo。 Ela vive no mundinho lírico triste obsessivo e solitário dela， e tem um raciocínio que eu entendo but I can't relate AT ALL。 E quem disser que vê as coisas 100% igual ela vê ta mentindo。 É o tipo de livro que não tem como eu explicar， só você lendo。 。。。more

Mady Andreas ，

Right up there with Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charley” as an examination of the modern American zeitgeist。 You don’t have to agree with everything Didion writes in this collection of essays， but there is no denying the strength of her prose。

Mallory House ，

beyond my freakin depth and her vocab is absurd， yet she is a powerful intellect and eloquent writer who is incredibly observant of the mundane

mia ，

she don’t MISS！！！！！ at all！！！！ slouching towards bethlehem is still my favorite didion so far but this is a close second

Kathryn ，

The White Album is insightful and smart， but I couldn't bring myself to care about some of the essays， like the ones on the California governor's mansion， water， Hoover Dam， and most of "California Republic" section。 The "Sojourns" chapters were the best - i could read Didion talking about malls for an entire book。 The White Album is insightful and smart， but I couldn't bring myself to care about some of the essays， like the ones on the California governor's mansion， water， Hoover Dam， and most of "California Republic" section。 The "Sojourns" chapters were the best - i could read Didion talking about malls for an entire book。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

Engaging writer。。。。it's like a slice of California like in the 70's from an outsider looking in。 Didion is smooth in style and slowly pulls you into the narrative。 Engaging writer。。。。it's like a slice of California like in the 70's from an outsider looking in。 Didion is smooth in style and slowly pulls you into the narrative。 。。。more

Emma Hamilton ，

Getting through this was quite the struggle and I admittedly skipped a few sections altogether。 I wasn't a fan of Eve Babitz's "Fast Days Slow Company"， but on a whim decided to pick this up and see if it would alter my opinion on the "snapshots of California in the 60s/70s" sub genre。 There's no doubt that Didion is a prolific writer that has lived an extraordinary life。 I just found that most of the sections spoke of mundane topics （i。e。 highways， water treatment， malls， etc。） instead of what Getting through this was quite the struggle and I admittedly skipped a few sections altogether。 I wasn't a fan of Eve Babitz's "Fast Days Slow Company"， but on a whim decided to pick this up and see if it would alter my opinion on the "snapshots of California in the 60s/70s" sub genre。 There's no doubt that Didion is a prolific writer that has lived an extraordinary life。 I just found that most of the sections spoke of mundane topics （i。e。 highways， water treatment， malls， etc。） instead of what i was truly interested in such as Charles Manson and the Black Panther Party， as advertised on the back of the book。 Maybe essay collections just aren't my thing？ 。。。more

Jeanette （Ms。 Feisty） ，

3。25 starsMy rating is merely an average of individual ratings I gave to each of the twenty essays in the book。 Ratings ranged from 1。5 to 5 stars。

Matt Northam ，

Entertaining essays， though I couldn’t get out of the mindset that it was a novel （entirely my fault） so it was a little jarring to me。

Pau ，

didion is an amazing writer but this is really making me aware that i would probably dislike her if she wasn't joan didion。 oh well。 didion is an amazing writer but this is really making me aware that i would probably dislike her if she wasn't joan didion。 oh well。 。。。more

Holly Dolan ，

The very first line of ‘The White Album’: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live。 The princess is caged in the consulate。 The man with the candy will lead the children into the sea。 The naked woman on the ledge outside the window on the sixteenth floor is a victim of accidie， or the naked woman is an exhibitionist， and it would be more ‘interesting’ to know which。 We tell ourselves that it makes some difference whether the naked woman is about to commit a mortal sin or is about to register The very first line of ‘The White Album’: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live。 The princess is caged in the consulate。 The man with the candy will lead the children into the sea。 The naked woman on the ledge outside the window on the sixteenth floor is a victim of accidie， or the naked woman is an exhibitionist， and it would be more ‘interesting’ to know which。 We tell ourselves that it makes some difference whether the naked woman is about to commit a mortal sin or is about to register a political protest or is about to be， the Aristophanic view， snatched back to the human condition by the firemen in priests clothing just visible in the window behind her， the one smiling at the telephoto lens。” I could go on but that would be the whole first page…It seems Joan Didion will never fail to satisfy my literary needs。 ‘The White Album’ brings a livelihood to non fiction that makes essays read like novels and although it is written about Hollywood and pop culture in the late 60s， it is utterly timeless。 。。。more

Alex Ramsay ，

I’ll be honest Didion’s cultural conservatism bothered me a lot more here than it did in Slouching Towards Bethlehem。 Everything in the White Album essay to do with the Black Panthers and Huey P。 Newton reeks of condescension and white liberal pearl clutching

Kevin Mathew ，

Snapshots of a past when we had a future。 Beguiling prose。 Makes you want to read more Didion。

Ivana ，

I didn't like this as much as I wanted to like it。 I assume， if I were more familiar with the general ambiance and the setting （although I am somewhat familiar with the setting） I would enjoy it a lot more。 There were parts of it I really loved， and it is clear to me that she is an excellent writer， however there is a certain disconnect I felt when reading it。 I will try for another title by the same author。 I didn't like this as much as I wanted to like it。 I assume， if I were more familiar with the general ambiance and the setting （although I am somewhat familiar with the setting） I would enjoy it a lot more。 There were parts of it I really loved， and it is clear to me that she is an excellent writer， however there is a certain disconnect I felt when reading it。 I will try for another title by the same author。 。。。more

Scott ，

“We tell ourselves stories in order to live“Didion's second essay collection ranges farther afield than Slouching Towards Bethlehem。 Didion's broad interests are occasionally belied by the brevity of a few pieces。 Yet， they are almost always salvaged by her psychological perceptiveness， lyrical prose。 & the sense of being both a part of the zeitgeist as well as a stranger in a strange land （to borrow Heinlein's title）。 While not as consistently amazing as Slouching， there were some real gems in “We tell ourselves stories in order to live“Didion's second essay collection ranges farther afield than Slouching Towards Bethlehem。 Didion's broad interests are occasionally belied by the brevity of a few pieces。 Yet， they are almost always salvaged by her psychological perceptiveness， lyrical prose。 & the sense of being both a part of the zeitgeist as well as a stranger in a strange land （to borrow Heinlein's title）。 While not as consistently amazing as Slouching， there were some real gems in this collection （stand-outs include :the title essay， “Many Mansions，“ “The Getty，“ “Georgia O'Keefe，“ “In Hollywood“ & “On the Mall“）。 Definitely recommend！4。5 STARS 。。。more

Abeb ，

I would recommend reading a sample of her essays/journalism writing before you pick this up。 I say that because the way she writes is unique。 She'll spend more time （even though it's not a lot of words） describing a setting or person's background than she will telling you what she thinks about certain things。 Some of it is great。 The sections/essays The White Album， The Women's Movement， Sojourns， and Quiet Days in Malibu are great。 Didion is totally a cool girl。 The way she'll name drop people I would recommend reading a sample of her essays/journalism writing before you pick this up。 I say that because the way she writes is unique。 She'll spend more time （even though it's not a lot of words） describing a setting or person's background than she will telling you what she thinks about certain things。 Some of it is great。 The sections/essays The White Album， The Women's Movement， Sojourns， and Quiet Days in Malibu are great。 Didion is totally a cool girl。 The way she'll name drop people like its nothing is sort of funny。 This book takes about two days to read if you read in long sittings， or it can be drawn out。 。。。more

Chloe ，

I wanted to like this so much， I really did， I really tried。 I love a good book of essays but I just couldn't get into it。 Is Joan Didion a great writer: absolutely， her prose is beautiful and apparently legendary - that being said， the stories she told， I felt so detached from them， like they were miles away from me， and I hated that feeling。 I wanted to like this so much， I really did， I really tried。 I love a good book of essays but I just couldn't get into it。 Is Joan Didion a great writer: absolutely， her prose is beautiful and apparently legendary - that being said， the stories she told， I felt so detached from them， like they were miles away from me， and I hated that feeling。 。。。more

lapetitesouris ，

I don't remember what my old rating was of The White Album （Was it a 1。5？ 2？） but I'm bumping it up to a 3。5， dare I say， a 3。75 （Can we do that？ Am I breaking rules here？）Reading Didion is an act of meditation。 I get lost in her words and have a sense of calm wash over me， even if she's talking about the 60s ending with the Manson Family murders or fires taking over California。"The White Album" is still the best essay in this entire collection （says my 60s loving self）。 Though this time around I don't remember what my old rating was of The White Album （Was it a 1。5？ 2？） but I'm bumping it up to a 3。5， dare I say， a 3。75 （Can we do that？ Am I breaking rules here？）Reading Didion is an act of meditation。 I get lost in her words and have a sense of calm wash over me， even if she's talking about the 60s ending with the Manson Family murders or fires taking over California。"The White Album" is still the best essay in this entire collection （says my 60s loving self）。 Though this time around I also really loved most of the essays in Pt 2， California Republic， the pieces of "In the Islands" about Didion， and both essays in Pt 5， On the Morning After the Sixties。 I especially loved "On the Morning After the Sixties"， a line from an entire passage that stands out to me which reads: "。。。the narrative on which many of us grew up on no longer applies"。 For someone so entirely caught up in the past and the nostalgia that comes with it， but also very aware of how that time no longer exists or fits in with the current state of things， this line got to me。 So all in all， I loved this one more than I did the first time around。 My reccomendation to anyone new to Didion is to a） not start with The White Album and b） read it after you've read a few of her works。 Alright， ending this long review in 3， 2， 1。。。 。。。more

Caroline ，

loved the titular essay， “Georgia O’Keeffe， “ &， even “In Bed” but the rest of the time I very much wished I was reading something else

Modesty ，

loved it obviously。 my faves were the women's movement， quiet days in malibu， the essay about doris lessing， basically all the essays in sojourns& in the white album， the one about L。A。 freeways， and the one about migraines。 so basically all of them lol loved it obviously。 my faves were the women's movement， quiet days in malibu， the essay about doris lessing， basically all the essays in sojourns& in the white album， the one about L。A。 freeways， and the one about migraines。 so basically all of them lol 。。。more

Caroline ，

'By way of comment I offer only that an attack of vertigo and nausea does not now seem to me an inappropriate response to the summer of 1968'。 I tend to agree。 Still wish I'd loved these essays more。 'By way of comment I offer only that an attack of vertigo and nausea does not now seem to me an inappropriate response to the summer of 1968'。 I tend to agree。 Still wish I'd loved these essays more。 。。。more

Erik Caswell ，

I love Didion’s essays and the way she critically & methodically unpacks， deconstructs， and reveals what it is she’s reporting on or looking at。 There is something undeniably glamorous to me about the intensity of her intellect and quality of her writing。 It used to make me boil when people （especially men） would complain about her being “pretentious” or not a good writer because she isn’t plain spoken enough for their liking。 Sorry you’re jealous her secondhand thoughts on a dull afternoon walk I love Didion’s essays and the way she critically & methodically unpacks， deconstructs， and reveals what it is she’s reporting on or looking at。 There is something undeniably glamorous to me about the intensity of her intellect and quality of her writing。 It used to make me boil when people （especially men） would complain about her being “pretentious” or not a good writer because she isn’t plain spoken enough for their liking。 Sorry you’re jealous her secondhand thoughts on a dull afternoon walk have more value than even the loftiest of your literary ambitions。 *shrug*However， on this read， I can understand why Didion’s writing comes across as a bit out of touch， maybe even “elitist” （a word she returns to sardonically in these essays and that continues to haunt the American political consciousness）。 Privilege clearly frames any and all of these works， no matter how insightfully they reveal。 Doesn’t diminish but does contextualize。 An avg sentence will be like: “We were on the veranda， china gleaming in the setting sun the way it can only set in the American southwest， waiting for the tapenade to arrive and wondering when， if ever， those years would be behind us。” But。 I still adore her work and the power she holds as a thinker and writer。 Fav essays: The White Album， Holy Water， Good Citizens， On the Mall， In Bogota。 （（Side note: The Women’s Movement has probably not aged well - I’d love to read someone’s response。 From the time & from today。）） 。。。more

Katie ，

love you Joan， but I was bored。

Jillian Irvine ，

I enjoyed this。 This is my 4th Joan Didion read and by far the one I would recommend the most。 Many topics and issues discussed， some in depth， some not， but I thoroughly enjoyed most of her takes。 She actually makes a point to exclude her opinion in some of the pieces， choosing to simply present the facts/situation instead and let the reader decide how they feel。 This created some nice variety of the tone。 There are also interesting details of her life and career sprinkled throughout which I lo I enjoyed this。 This is my 4th Joan Didion read and by far the one I would recommend the most。 Many topics and issues discussed， some in depth， some not， but I thoroughly enjoyed most of her takes。 She actually makes a point to exclude her opinion in some of the pieces， choosing to simply present the facts/situation instead and let the reader decide how they feel。 This created some nice variety of the tone。 There are also interesting details of her life and career sprinkled throughout which I loved。 Overall great read。 。。。more

Julia Stallone ，

a maior de todas simplesmente

_Readerwhy ，

"Down on the West Coast， they got their iconsTheir silver starlets， their queens of Saigons"Jos ajatuksensa Joan Didionin kirjasta the White Album haluaisi ilmaista musiikin avulla siihen kävisi mainiosti Dana Del Rayn biisi West Coast （jonka sanoista sitaatti edellä）。Suhteeni Joan Didioniin oli ennen "Valkoista albumia" ristiriitainen ja sitä se on myös lukemisen jälkeen。 Didion kirjoittaa usein tyrmäävän hyvin ja hänen parhaissa teksteissään tunnelma on syvästi vahva。 Siitä huolimatta koen hän "Down on the West Coast， they got their iconsTheir silver starlets， their queens of Saigons"Jos ajatuksensa Joan Didionin kirjasta the White Album haluaisi ilmaista musiikin avulla siihen kävisi mainiosti Dana Del Rayn biisi West Coast （jonka sanoista sitaatti edellä）。Suhteeni Joan Didioniin oli ennen "Valkoista albumia" ristiriitainen ja sitä se on myös lukemisen jälkeen。 Didion kirjoittaa usein tyrmäävän hyvin ja hänen parhaissa teksteissään tunnelma on syvästi vahva。 Siitä huolimatta koen hänen läsnäolonsa teoksessa kylmäksi ja korostuneen etuoikeutetuksi ja myös hieman ylimieliseksi。 Didionin kohdalla minun on myös erityisen vaikea irrottaa hänen persoonaansa hänen teoksistaan， joka tietenkään tämän kirjan kohdalla ei ole sinänsä ihme， kun kyse on esseistä， jotka perustuvat Didionin omiin elämänkokemuksiin。 Didionin usein villtävän detaljoitu kielenkäyttö on toki hurmaavaa ja lukijaa kokonaisvaltaisesti hivelevää， kuten myös hänen taitonsa kirjoittaa akkuraatteja "tiivistymiä":"The Royal Hawaiian is not merely a hotel but a social idea。"1960-1970 -luvuilla kirjoitettu The White Album sisältää useita suht lyhyitä tekstejä， joiden aiheet vaihtelevat ajan yleisen hengen ja julkkistapaamisten kuvauksista mm。 migreeniin， ostoskeskuksiin， toisen aallon feminismiin， Doris Lessingiin ja Georgia O'Keeffeen。Osa teksteistä on niin vahvasti amerikkalaisuuteen juurtuneita， että en saa niistä kovinkaan paljoa irti， koska en tunne niiden konteksteja tai niissä mainittuja henkilöitä。Suosikkini on teoksen avaava nimiteksti ”The White Album"， jossa Didion kirjoittaa mm。 Sharon Taten murhasta， Mansonin tytöistä， mustista panttereista ja The Doorsista。 Teksti purkittaa aikakautensa hengen totaalisella täsmällisyydellä。 Tai mistä minä sitä oikeastaan tiedän？ En ole elänyt 1960-1970 -lukujen Kaliforniassa， enkä itse asiassa ole käynyt siellä koskaan。 Didionia lukiessa kuitenkin tuntuu， että juuri sellaista se on ollut kuin millaiseksi hän sen kuvaa。 Että Didionia luettuani voisi hyvin käydä niin， että kun astun ovesta ulos Jim Morrison tulisi rappukäytävässä vastaan， eikä asia hämmästyttäisi minua lainkaan。KIrjailija Martin Amis on sanonut， että "Joan Didion is the poet of the Great Californian Emptiness"。 En näe syytä väittää vastaan Amisille， mutta en voi olla miettimättä， enkö lukijana parhaassakin tapauksessa ole vain turisti suhteessa "kalifornialaiseen tyhjyyteen”？Miten helppoa onkaan liittää kalifornialaisen tyhjyyden käsitteeseen merkityksiä ja estetiikkaa， jotka ovat Didionin sanoista muodostamiani keitoksia pääni sisällä。 Ehkä Didionin viehätys on juuri siinä， että häntä lukiessa tuntuu kuin jokin hänen kuvaamastaan tunnelmasta ja elämän tarkastelemisen tavasta siirtyisi osaksi omaa itseä。 Hetken olen joku aivan muu ja pääsen kokemaan kalifornialaisen tyhjyyden， joka vaikuttaa niin hurjan paljon esteettisemmältä kuin mikään omassa elämässäni kokemani tyhjyys。Didionin lauseet。 Ne viettelevät。"The bedrooms are big and private and high-ceilinged and they do not open on the swimming pool and one can imagine reading in one of them， or writing a book， or closing the door and crying until dinner。"[。。。]"Certain places seem to exist mainly because someone has written about them。"[。。。]"We just bought this place， it's the nicest place we ever had。 But I put it up to the Lord， and the Lord said put it up for sale。 Care for a Dr。 Pepper？""Didionia voisi verrata Patti Smithiin siinä mielessä， että heillä kummallakin on ainutlaatuinen kyky tehdä kaikesta näkemästään ja kokemastaan kiinnostavaa。 Kun Patti juo kahvia， se on ihan eri juomaa kuin mitä oma keittimeni pystyy tuottamaan ja kun Didion kirjoittaa Dr。 Pepperistä on se virvoitusjuomaa， jota ei voi samaistaa vastaavaan Prismassa myytävään tuotteeseen。Vaikutun Didionin tekstistä， mutta jokin kylmä minuun jää The White Albumin jälkeen kiertämään。 Ja sen lisäksi joku maaginen。 。。。more

Ivoree Stinson ，

some parts loved some parts a tiny boring。 writing was all beautiful。

Kate Sherrill ，

I enjoyed the writing and titular story in the “The White Album” very much。 4/5 for those。 But at times， I wasn’t loving other stories and would gloss over them。 Collections aren’t necessarily a personal favorite， so 3/5 overall。 Would be interested in other Didion narratives。

Rod ，

From freeway planning to shopping center building to a recording an album， Didion kept me reading when I only meant to read the title essay。 There were times， yes， when I thought "Now what's the point of this one？" and then I would happen upon a wonderfully comic （though deadpan） observation or a unique perspective that would inspire a highlight and propelled me to the next。 Not a rave review， but chances are I will start another of her books in the future， only meaning to read a few pages， and。 From freeway planning to shopping center building to a recording an album， Didion kept me reading when I only meant to read the title essay。 There were times， yes， when I thought "Now what's the point of this one？" and then I would happen upon a wonderfully comic （though deadpan） observation or a unique perspective that would inspire a highlight and propelled me to the next。 Not a rave review， but chances are I will start another of her books in the future， only meaning to read a few pages， and。。。 。。。more

Naiya ，

Quick read。 Easily one of my fave books by Didion。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The White Album

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The White Album&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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