Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Paperback)

by Joan Didion (Author) "This is a story about love and death in the golden land, and begins with the country..." (more)
Key Phrases: haight street, New York, Lucille Miller, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"In her portraits of people, Didion is not out to expose but to understand, and she shows us actors and millionaires, doomed brides and naive acid-trippers, left wing ideologues and snobs of the Hawaiian aristocracy in a way that makes them neither villainous nor glamorous, but alive and botched and often mournfully beautiful . . . A rich display of some of the best prose written today in this country."--Dan Wakefield, The New York Times Book Review
-- Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"In her portraits of people, Didion is not out to expose but to understand, and she shows us actors and millionaires, doomed brides and naive acid-trippers, left wing ideologues and snobs of the Hawaiian aristocracy in a way that makes them neither villainous nor glamorous, but alive and botched and often mournfully beautiful . . . A rich display of some of the best prose written today in this country."--Dan Wakefield, The New York Times Book Review

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

---

Product Details Paperback Publisher: Pocket (April 3, 1982) Language: English ISBN-10: 0671455362 ISBN-13: 978-0671455361 Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,457,339 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #42 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Didion, Joan

Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Search Inside This Book:

---

Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

First Sentence:
This is a story about love and death in the golden land, and begins with the country. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
haight street

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Lucille Miller, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miss Baez, Las Vegas, Ira Sandperl, San Bernardino, Arthwell Hayton, Santa Ana, Howard Hughes, Joan Baez, Sandy Slagle, Banyan Street, Michael Laski, Officer Gerrans, Chester Anderson, Sue Ann, Peter Berg, Arthur Lisch, Cork Miller, Pearl Harbor, United States, Big Five, Carmel Valley

New!
Concordance | Text Stats

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Search Inside This Book:

---

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 35 books:

• Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays by Joan Didion on 5 pages
• Love Song (Candlelight Ecstasy Romance) by Prudence Martin on page 30, page 31, and page 35
• The White Album by Joan Didion in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
• San Bernardino County by Automobile Club of Southern California on page 6, and page 8
• Play It As It Lays: A Novel by Joan Didion in Front Matter

See all 35 books this book cites

 

100 books cite this book:

• Marriage, Violence and the Nation in the American Literary West (Cambridge Studies in American Literature and Culture) by William R. Handley on 6 pages
• Landscapes of the New West: Gender and Geography in Contemporary Women's Writing (Cultural Studies of the United States) by Krista Comer on page 52, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Writing Creative Nonfiction: Fiction Techniques for Crafting Great Nonfiction by Theodore A. Rees Cheney on page 27, page 178, and Back Matter
• The Magazines Handbook (Media Practice) by Jenny McKay on page 94, page 96, and page 119
• Alfred Kazin's America: Critical and Personal Writings by Alfred Kazin on page 289, page 291, and page 293

See all 100 books citing this book

---

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	87% buy the item featured on this page: Slouching Towards Bethlehem 4.5 out of 5 stars (33)
	5% buy The Year of Magical Thinking 3.8 out of 5 stars (518) $10.17
	4% buy We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live: Collected Nonfiction (Everyman's Library) 4.5 out of 5 stars (14) $19.80
	3% buy The White Album 4.5 out of 5 stars (16) $11.20

Explore similar items

---

Suggested Tags from Similar Products  (What's this?) Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product). Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below. grief(65) memoir(41) death and dying(35) loss(32) joan didion(25) essays(11) didion(12) biography(15) death(12) nonfiction(10) love(9) Your tags: Add your first tag

Search Products Tagged with   See most popular tags

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

---

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

---

 

Customer Reviews

33 Reviews 5 star:  (24) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:  (4) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.5 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 35 of 38 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars American Anomie, October 31, 2001 By  "bibliomane01" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays (Paperback) This classic 1968 work is justly renowned as Joan Didion's finest collection of essays. Its central theme - and the theme behind much of what Didion writes - is the atomisation of American culture, the way in which things have fallen apart and left millions adrift from the cultural and ethical moorings that their ancestors took for granted. 33 years later, it is ironic to look back on the period that the writer depicts with such grim pathos when it is celebrated as a time of idealism and freedom by the survivors of the sixties. Many pieces in the first and third sections of the book ("Lifestyles in the Golden Land" and "Seven Places of the Mind") seem rather dated; the piece which made the most impression on this reviewer was the least ambitious of the group; to me, the portrait of Comrade Laski of the CPUSA-ML is a tiny masterpiece of irony. The pieces from the second section ("Personals")were much more enjoyable, especially "On Keeping a Notebook" and "On Self-Respect." Overall, "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" is more memorable for the author's endearing prose style than for the individual essays. 17 of 17 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A period piece, but some of it is classic, January 15, 2001 By  R. Walker - See all my reviews This review is from: Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Modern Library) (Hardcover) Decades after the fact, this collection of essays is a bit of a period piece, but some of it holds up quite well. The subject of the famous title story -- which first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in 1967 -- is about the Haight Street scene and, more to the point, the breakdown of human connection that Didion believed that scene represented. She is similarly gloomy about New York in "Goodbye to All That," and about California in "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream." Though she was in her late 20s and early 30s when she wrote this material, she clearly saw much of what was going on in the 1960s as the activities of a different generation from her own. In any case it's these pieces, along with one about John Wayne, that stand out here, and remain, after all these years, pretty close to extraordinary. Some of the other material (a piece about Joan Baez, etc.) is less memorable. I bought this in the hardback Modern Library edition with a useless introductory essay by Elizabeth Hardwick (but a great photo of Didion on the front cover). Should've gone with paper. 23 of 25 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars excellent example of the essay form, September 2, 2005 By  J. Jacobs - See all my reviews    This review is from: Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays (Paperback) Didion's collection of essays was recommended to me by writing instructors as an example of excellent essay writing. I found it to be just that. In the first third, she writes a series of remarkable essays about California in the late 1960s. The middle third contains personal essays. And the book finishes with a collection of essays about different places she's been - New York, Hartford, Hawaii, Sacramento. What makes her writing most impressive is her masterful presentation of portraits, inserting herself just occasionally to remind the reader of who the photographer was, to inject humanity. She does an excellent job combining place and character and shows that long sentences can work. This book is useful both an as example to those who aspire to writing better essays and as a memorable voice from the 1960s.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT COLLECTION FOR ANYONE -- RECOMMENDED BY COLLEGE PROFESSOR (FOR HERSELF AND HER STUDENTS) I am reminded how important it is -- necessary, curative -- to have my own beliefs and opinions disrupted by this book. Read more Published 3 months ago by Leighton Moore 5.0 out of 5 stars Classic and Wonderful You enter a different world when you read this book (also Didion's White Album). It's not the California you see on television or People magazine; it's the gritty day to day... Read more Published 7 months ago by A. Altman 5.0 out of 5 stars Didion is a writer's writer All these years later, this book still sells because the writing is just superb. If you're in an MFA or other program, honing your skill as an essayist, this book is a must for... Read more Published 8 months ago by S. Kay Murphy 5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic classic by Joan Didion I study English in Denmark and we were told to read Play It As It Lays and that just made me hungry for more books from Didion and I was not disapointed. Read more Published 14 months ago by M. Kristensen 3.0 out of 5 stars Essays of what? I originally chose to read this book because it was written by Joan Didion. I found it was a mistake quite soon. At least for me. Read more Published 16 months ago by Sarah F. Erickson 5.0 out of 5 stars Yeats, The Grateful Dead, and All That This book starts out citing W.B. Yeats and Peggy Lee, co-equals in esteem and regard. Yeats and his slouching towards Bethlehem, "Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The... Read more Published on May 17, 2007 by M. Swinney 5.0 out of 5 stars Joan Didion A Voice for the Sixties I had read Joan Didion's essays written in the sixties and covering a variety of topics when they were first published. Read more Published on March 29, 2007 by Mary K. Hunt 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Collection This is a great group of essays by one of the century's premier American essayists. I suppose reading her latest book, The Year of Magical Thinking, before reading her older... Read more Published on January 11, 2007 by Eric Chamberlain 5.0 out of 5 stars Didion doesn't slouch I am relieved to have finally read Didion's much acclaimed book of essays, which was published in 1968--and so it's old. So what? Read more Published on April 26, 2006 by B. L. Williams 3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting if not dated well written essays about CA and counterculture. Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem is a collection of essays that generally revolve around California and how counterculture is a reflection of society falling apart. Read more Published on April 24, 2006 by Surface to Air Missle Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

---

Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)   Discussion Replies Latest Post   No discussions yet Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight Start a new discussion Topic: First post: Receive e-mail when new posts are made Prompts for sign-in   [Cancel] Guidelines

Related forums joan didion (start the discussion)

---

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com.

› See featured Amapedia.com articles

---

Listmania!

Books Worth Reading - Both Serious in Nature & Just for Fun: A list by Shannon Morris   ...thought provoking and sometimes funny!: A list by Nichole Bohner   Creative Non-Fiction I recommend: A list by Alan Emmins "Author of 31 Days and Mop Men" Create a Listmania! list

Search Listmania!

---

So You'd Like to...

Read the Best Books From the Last Ten Years: A guide by Gregory Baird   be well-read?: A guide by Maria Lebron   Build a Great Library, Part III: Non-Fiction: A guide by Gregory Baird Create a guide

Search Guides

---

Look for Similar Items by Category

• Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Didion, Joan
• Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism

---

Sephora: Free Shipping Get free shipping on Sephora orders of $50 or more. Shop What's New, Sephora Exclusives, and Bare Escentuals Exclusives right here. Plus, shop Sephora's 75% off Sale and get free shipping on all Bare Escentuals starter kits for a limited time only. ›Shop Sephora now

Big Savings in Books Find great titles at fantastic prices in our Bargain Books Store.

Buy Three Books, Get a Fourth Free Order any four eligible books under $10 and get the lowest-price book free in our 4-for-3 Books Store. See more details.

Wake Up Dry Customers are raving about the Malem Ultimate Selectable Tone, the bedwetting alarm that combines light, sound, and vibration to help even the deepest sleeper wake. Choose from eight variable tones or a single tone. ›Buy now

Ad feedback

 

Feedback If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? Is there any other feedback you would like to provide? Your comments can help make our site better for everyone. Please note that we are unable to respond directly to all feedback submitted via this form, but we'll ask you to sign in so we can contact you if needed.

Where's My Stuff? Track your recent orders. View or change your orders in Your Account. Shipping & Returns See our shipping rates & policies. See FREE shipping information. Return an item (here's our Returns Policy). Need Help? Forgot your password? Buy gift cards. Visit our Help department.

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)

You have no recently viewed items or searches. After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.	Continue shopping: Top Sellers Free by Chris Anderson $0.00 Paranoia by Joseph Finder $0.00 My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent 3.6 out of 5 stars (5)$0.00 Glenn Beck's Common Sense by Glenn Beck $6.59

Amazon.com Home  |   Directory of All Stores

International Sites:  Canada  |  United Kingdom  |  Germany  |  Japan  |  France  |  China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Build an eCommerce Site  |  Advertise With Us  |  Developer Services  |  Self-Publish with Us

Help  |  View Cart  |  Your Account  |  1-Click Settings  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage

Careers at Amazon  |  Investor Relations  |  Press Releases  |  Corporate Responsibility

Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Pocket (April 3, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671455362
• ISBN-13: 978-0671455361
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,457,339 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #42 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Didion, Joan

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars American Anomie, October 31, 2001

By	"bibliomane01" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays (Paperback)

This classic 1968 work is justly renowned as Joan Didion's finest collection of essays. Its central theme - and the theme behind much of what Didion writes - is the atomisation of American culture, the way in which things have fallen apart and left millions adrift from the cultural and ethical moorings that their ancestors took for granted. 33 years later, it is ironic to look back on the period that the writer depicts with such grim pathos when it is celebrated as a time of idealism and freedom by the survivors of the sixties. Many pieces in the first and third sections of the book ("Lifestyles in the Golden Land" and "Seven Places of the Mind") seem rather dated; the piece which made the most impression on this reviewer was the least ambitious of the group; to me, the portrait of Comrade Laski of the CPUSA-ML is a tiny masterpiece of irony. The pieces from the second section ("Personals")were much more enjoyable, especially "On Keeping a Notebook" and "On Self-Respect." Overall, "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" is more memorable for the author's endearing prose style than for the individual essays.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A period piece, but some of it is classic, January 15, 2001

By	R. Walker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Modern Library) (Hardcover)

Decades after the fact, this collection of essays is a bit of a period piece, but some of it holds up quite well. The subject of the famous title story -- which first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in 1967 -- is about the Haight Street scene and, more to the point, the breakdown of human connection that Didion believed that scene represented. She is similarly gloomy about New York in "Goodbye to All That," and about California in "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream." Though she was in her late 20s and early 30s when she wrote this material, she clearly saw much of what was going on in the 1960s as the activities of a different generation from her own. In any case it's these pieces, along with one about John Wayne, that stand out here, and remain, after all these years, pretty close to extraordinary. Some of the other material (a piece about Joan Baez, etc.) is less memorable. I bought this in the hardback Modern Library edition with a useless introductory essay by Elizabeth Hardwick (but a great photo of Didion on the front cover). Should've gone with paper.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent example of the essay form, September 2, 2005

By	J. Jacobs - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays (Paperback)

Didion's collection of essays was recommended to me by writing instructors as an example of excellent essay writing. I found it to be just that. In the first third, she writes a series of remarkable essays about California in the late 1960s. The middle third contains personal essays. And the book finishes with a collection of essays about different places she's been - New York, Hartford, Hawaii, Sacramento.

What makes her writing most impressive is her masterful presentation of portraits, inserting herself just occasionally to remind the reader of who the photographer was, to inject humanity. She does an excellent job combining place and character and shows that long sentences can work. This book is useful both an as example to those who aspire to writing better essays and as a memorable voice from the 1960s.