

#3175
Mentioned in 9 episodes
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Book • 1968
Slouching Towards Bethlehem is a collection of essays by Joan Didion that captures the essence of 1960s America, especially in California.
The book includes twenty essays that cover a wide range of topics, from the counterculture movement in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district to personal narratives and character portraits.
Didion's essays explore themes such as the decline of traditional values, the disillusionment of the American Dream, and the tumultuous social changes of the era.
The title essay, 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem,' is a vivid portrayal of the hippie culture and its contrast with its idealized representations, drawing imagery from W.B.
Yeats' poem 'The Second Coming.
' The collection also includes essays like 'On Keeping a Notebook' and 'Goodbye to All That,' which reflect on Didion's personal life and writing habits.
Through her keen observations and vivid storytelling, Didion provides an unflinching and insightful overview of America during the 1960s.
The book includes twenty essays that cover a wide range of topics, from the counterculture movement in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district to personal narratives and character portraits.
Didion's essays explore themes such as the decline of traditional values, the disillusionment of the American Dream, and the tumultuous social changes of the era.
The title essay, 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem,' is a vivid portrayal of the hippie culture and its contrast with its idealized representations, drawing imagery from W.B.
Yeats' poem 'The Second Coming.
' The collection also includes essays like 'On Keeping a Notebook' and 'Goodbye to All That,' which reflect on Didion's personal life and writing habits.
Through her keen observations and vivid storytelling, Didion provides an unflinching and insightful overview of America during the 1960s.
Mentioned by
















Mentioned in 9 episodes
Mentioned by 

as one of the many authors whose books are displayed in a Dartmouth College fellowship house.


Cal Newport

776 snips
Ep. 254: The Laws of Less
Mentioned by 

in relation to journaling habits.


Ryan Holiday

288 snips
Get Over This Bogus Notion | How To Journal Like A Stoic Philosopher
Mentioned by 

in relation to an essay on keeping a notebook.


Ryan Holiday

55 snips
Paper Trails: How Notebooks Changed The World | Roland Allen
Mentioned by 

as a book that discusses the Santa Ana winds and their impact on Los Angeles.


Tim Miller

35 snips
Derek Thompson and Elizabeth Weil: The Trend Toward Solitude
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in the context of her essay about visiting Pearl Harbor.

Jack Beatty

12 snips
The Jackpod: The past is a foreign country
Mentioned by 

as an essay that offers a view of Haight-Ashbury that goes against the mythology of the time.


Evelyn McDonnell

11 snips
Author Evelyn McDonnell On Joan Didion’s Life and Legacy (Pt 1)
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as a seminal work on the counterculture in San Francisco.

Adrian Daub

Moira Donegan

Episode 77: San Francisco
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in relation to the documentary he directed about her, "The Center Will Not Hold."

Griffin Dunne

Storytelling, Family & Tragedy with Griffin Dunne
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and ![undefined]()

in the context of their shared Sacramento roots and Didion's unique perspective on California.


Ryan Holiday

Timothy Denevi

Timothy Denevi on Hunter S Thompson and the Art of Journalism (Part 1)
Mentioned by 

as an incredible book.


Ryan Holiday

Joan Didion's Parenting Strategies | Ryan Holiday & Evelyn McDonnell
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; the book is discussed in relation to Didion's early work and her views on California.

Mina Kim

Joan Didion and How Hollywood Shaped American Politics
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as a book containing articles from 1961 to 1967, embodying her sense of things falling apart.

Alissa Wilkinson

Alissa Wilkinson: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine
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as an example of how a parent's response to a child's boredom can foster creativity.


Ryan Holiday

Show Them How To Use That Energy
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

as a collection of essays containing one about a news story where a woman burned her husband alive.

Dr. Dru Johnson

Hollywood, Scripture, and Politics: Joan Didion and the Power of Story (Alissa Wilkinson) Ep. #207