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

Jul 3, 2025

Alissa Wilkinson, a film critic at The New York Times and author of 'We Tell Ourselves Stories', dives deep into the narrative prowess of Joan Didion. She uncovers how Didion viewed stories as survival mechanisms in chaotic times. The conversation touches on the interplay of Hollywood and politics, the resurgence of nostalgia, and the role of storytelling in addressing trauma. Wilkinson intriguingly questions if Scripture is merely another constructed narrative, highlighting the complexities of cultural memory amidst contemporary conspiracy theories.

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INSIGHT

Chaos and Order in Didion's View

Joan Didion believed the world is inherently chaotic but nature follows impartial, predictable order.
Humans create chaos and then stories to make sense of that chaos.

ANECDOTE

Donner Party and Childhood Trauma

Didion's family had Donner Party ancestral trauma, symbolizing survival against odds.
She wrote her earliest story in a graveyard about a girl walking into the sea, hinting early engagement with trauma.

INSIGHT

Hollywood: Entertainment over Politics

Joan Didion saw Hollywood as focused on entertainment, not genuine politics.
This outlook contrasted with the political activism culture of the time in Hollywood.

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What do Hollywood, Joan Didion, and the Bible have in common?

More than you’d expect. In this episode, New York Times film critic and author Alissa Wilkinson joins Dru Johnson to discuss the life, work, and worldview of Joan Didion, one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century. Wilkinson’s new book, We Tell Ourselves Stories, explores how Didion made sense of chaos through narrative—and what her work reveals about faith, trauma, politics, and cultural memory.

Together, Alissa and Dru explore Didion’s insight that stories are not just entertainment; they are survival mechanisms, tools we use to impose order on a chaotic world. But is that all Scripture is—just another human-made narrative? Wilkinson offers a careful reflection on the limits and power of storytelling, showing how Didion’s work can challenge both Christian belief and secular mythmaking.

They also dive into conspiracy theories, the fusion of politics and Hollywood, and the rise of nostalgia as a cultural sickness. From John Wayne to 9/11 to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this episode traces the invisible threads between the stories we inherit and the truths we cling to.

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Chapters:

00:00 Exploring Joan Didion's Influence
02:10 The Chaos of Life and Storytelling
05:08 The Impact of California on Didion's Work
08:15 Didion's Perspective on Conspiracy Theories
11:24 Hollywood's Political Landscape and Didion's Critique
14:26 The Intersection of Politics and Entertainment
17:29 Didion's Views on Feminism and Fixed Ideas
20:26 The Role of Nostalgia in Storytelling
23:24 The Modern Political Narrative
26:17 Conspiracies and Their Impact on Society
29:27 The Nature of Truth in Storytelling
32:10 Didion's Legacy in Film and Media
35:20 The Future of Storytelling in Politics