#2549

Mentioned in 14 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.

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 14 episodes

Mentioned by

Cal Newport

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

776 snips

Ep. 254: The Laws of Less

Mentioned by

Ryan Holiday

in relation to journaling habits.

302 snips

Get Over This Bogus Notion | How To Journal Like A Stoic Philosopher

Recommended by Jan Wenner to

Cameron Crowe

to read and learn how to write like a real writer.

152 snips

'The Interview': What Happened to Cameron Crowe? He Has Answers.

Mentioned by

Ryan Holiday

when referencing Joan Didion's essay 'On Keeping a Notebook'.

69 snips

This Is The Part To Love | "I Spent 6 Years Researching The Most Elusive Trait In The World"

Mentioned by

Jordan Schneider

, who enjoyed a segment from the beginning where Joan Didion spoke about being paid by the Standard Post.

55 snips

Overfit: Shenzhen vs SF Vibes, Model Progress, Jordan a Berkeley Bowl Hater

Mentioned by

Ryan Holiday

in relation to an essay on keeping a notebook.

55 snips

Paper Trails: How Notebooks Changed The World | Roland Allen

Mentioned by

Tim Miller

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

35 snips

Derek Thompson and Elizabeth Weil: The Trend Toward Solitude

Mentioned by

Susan Stamberg

as Joan Didion's first collection of essays, which Doug Terry recommended to her.

23 snips

Remembering NPR 'Founding Mother' Susan Stamberg

Mentioned by

Jack Beatty

in the context of her essay about visiting Pearl Harbor.

12 snips

The Jackpod: The past is a foreign country

Mentioned by

Evelyn McDonnell

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

11 snips

Author Evelyn McDonnell On Joan Didion’s Life and Legacy (Pt 1)

Mentioned by

Adrian Daub

and

Moira Donegan

as a seminal work on the counterculture in San Francisco.

Episode 77: San Francisco

Mentioned by

Elinor Dickinson

as a starting point for the disorder that is currently being experienced.

The Intrinsic Order that Emerges from Within Chaos (Elinor Dickson, PhD)

Mentioned by

Griffin Dunne

in relation to the documentary he directed about her, "The Center Will Not Hold."

Storytelling, Family & Tragedy with Griffin Dunne

Mentioned by

Ryan Holiday

and

Timothy Denevi

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

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

Mentioned by

Ryan Holiday

as an incredible book.

Joan Didion's Parenting Strategies | Ryan Holiday & Evelyn McDonnell

Mentioned by Dasha when discussing the hippie movement's logical conclusion after being commodified.

Ethel Cain't

Recommended by Jan Wenner to

Cameron Crowe

as an example of how to write like a real writer.

What Happened to Cameron Crowe? He Has Answers.

Mentioned by

Dr. Dru Johnson

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

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

Mentioned by

Robert Wright

in connection with the poem "The Second Coming" by Yeats, as Didion's collection shares a similar title phrase.

Disorder as the New Normal (Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov)

Mentioned by

Carlo Rotella

as one of the books he uses in his LitCore course to explore the counterculture of the 60s.

Carlo Rotella, "What Can I Get Out of This?: Teaching and Learning in a Classroom Full of Skeptics" (U California Press, 2025)

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