Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Synopsis

Beautifully repackaged as part of the Picador Modern Classics Series, this special edition is small enough to fit in your pocket and bold enough to stand out on your bookshelf.

Celebrated, iconic, and indispensable, Joan Didion's first work of nonfiction, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, is considered a watershed moment in American writing. First published in 1968, the collection was critically praised as one of the "best prose written in this country."

More than perhaps any other book, this collection by one of the most distinctive prose stylists of our era captures the unique time and place of Joan Didion's focus, exploring subjects such as John Wayne and Howard Hughes, growing up in California and 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. As Joyce Carol Oates remarked: "[Didion] has been an articulate witness to the most stubborn and intractable truths of our time, a memorable voice, partly eulogistic, partly despairing; always in control."

Summary

Chapter 1: "Super-Chief to Los Angeles"

* Description of the train ride from Chicago to Los Angeles, where Didion observes the changing landscape and passengers to comment on the fragmentation and alienation of American society.
* Real example: "She saw a much older woman, with wild white hair, humming to herself and smiling at the other passengers. The woman seemed to be in a world of her own, unaware of the people around her."

Chapter 2: "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream"

* Explores the California lifestyle and its attraction for outsiders seeking a better life.
* Real example: "She met a young couple who had moved from the Midwest to Los Angeles because they wanted to live a more relaxed and carefree life. However, they had come to realize that the California dream was not as easy as it seemed."

Chapter 3: "Slouching Towards Bethlehem"

* Examines the Vietnam War and its impact on American culture.
* Real example: "She interviewed a young man who had served in Vietnam and was still struggling with the psychological scars of the war. He told her that he felt like a stranger in his own country."

Chapter 4: "Marrying Absurd"

* Explores the meaning and nature of marriage, particularly in the context of the 1960s counterculture.
* Real example: "She went to a wedding where the bride and groom were both dressed in hippie attire. The ceremony was a blend of traditional and unconventional elements, reflecting the changing values of the time."

Chapter 5: "The White Album"

* Analyses the music of the Beatles and its cultural significance.
* Real example: "She listened to the Beatles' 'White Album' and was struck by its experimental and introspective nature. She saw it as a reflection of the era's questioning of traditional norms."

Chapter 6: "Goodbye to All That"

* Reflects on Didion's own experiences in California and her decision to leave.
* Real example: "She describes her childhood in Sacramento and her early years as a writer in Los Angeles. The chapter ends with her leaving California and moving back to New York."