Zoo Book Sales
Related Articles
No one has watched the explosion of American counterculture and its ultimate demise quite like Joan Didion. Here are 9 of Joan Didion’s best books.
Born in 1934, Joan Didion grew up in devout postwar conservatism and was ready with her pen as America convulsed throughout the 1960s. She was a journalistic reformer, tracking down the chaos of the counter- Californian culture with sharp, tongue-in-cheek observations. So if you’re new to Joan Didion’s books, where do you start?
Moving from fiction to memoir, his work traverses politics, relationships and the tragedy of loss, unfolding in easily readable elegance. Read on as we list Joan Didion’s best books.
Run the River (1963)
Starting at the top, we have Didion’s fictional debut. By this point, she was already an established writer, becoming editor at Vogue in New York. In Run the river, Didion draws from her Californian roots to paint a history of the state through disaffected and wealthy characters. She was critical of her debut later in her career, but it nevertheless sets the stage for her lifelong exploration of her home country.
JOAN DIDION
RUN THE RIVER
BUY HERE
Advanced to Bethlehem (1968)
However Run the river attracted the attention of Joan Didion on the literary scene, Advance to Bethlehem cemented her reputation as a journalistic innovator. A pioneering work of the non-fiction creative genre, it takes a critical but non-didactic look at the dominant culture and the madness-tinged malaise that accompanies the excesses of the time. A revolutionary work that reads as freshly today as when it was published.
JOAN DIDION
TOWARDS BETHLEHEM WALKING DOWN
BUY HERE
Play It As It Is (1970)
In Play it as it is, Didion continues to view the 60s with skepticism. This time, however, she finds the freedom in fiction to follow the trail of destruction to the end. The protagonist, Maria Wyeth, finds herself increasingly detached from reality, having suffered the hard knocks of relationship dysfunction, a faltering career and the trials of motherhood.
JOAN DIDION
PLAY IT AS IT IS LAYED
BUY HERE
A Book of Common Prayer (1977)
Perhaps Didion’s most adventurous fictional sojourn, A common prayer book takes readers to Boca Grande: a fictional state in Central America. Although its locality is imaginary, it is subject to the real tumult of the time, much of it inflicted by America. Complex, violent and dramatic, this novel gave birth to some of Didion’s most memorable characters.
JOAN DIDION
A BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER
BUY HERE
The White Album (1979)
Pillar of the journalistic production of Joan Didion, The white album chronicles the dark excesses of the 1960s and its impact on the following decade. It reads like a compendium of the era, but Didion’s cool detachment imbues these episodes with timelessness. In an age that lends itself to fetishization, her unwavering ability to render observations faithfully helps readers see her for what she was.
JOAN DIDION
THE WHITE ALBUM
BUY HERE
Miami (1987)
In Miami, Didion sheds new light on the tropical metropolis of Florida. The Cuban diaspora that has contributed so much to its identity has a story to tell about everything from the Bay of Pigs debacle to the Watergate scandal.
JOAN DIDION
MIAMI
BUY HERE
Where I Came From (2003)
Written as she approaches her 70th birthday, Joan Didion approaches the California of her childhood from new perspectives, but with the same style. A masterful collection that spans memoir, criticism, art and politics, it’s an often overlooked gem in the Didion canon.
JOAN DIDION
WHERE I CAME FROM
BUY HERE
The Year of Magical Thinking (2005)
Written in response to the death of her husband, The Year of Magical Thinking is a rare personal reflection. Innovative in its holistic approach to grief, it dwells far beyond typical grief panels, delving into thought processes that support survival while honoring the past.
JOAN DIDION
THE YEAR OF MAGIC THOUGHT
BUY HERE
Blue Nights (2011)
Faced again with a monumental family tragedy, blue nights sees Didion write about the loss of her daughter, Quintana, who died at the age of 39. As Didion nears the end of her own life, she poignantly navigates her loneliness on the page.
JOAN DIDION
BLUE NIGHTS
BUY HERE
