Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

I had a great catch up on the phone yesterday with one of my best friends from college. It was so fun to share updates on our children, husbands, summer road trips and twin passion for walking fast. I was so excited to hear what was new in her life, but I was also flooded with memories of our time together at Northwestern. I remember the night she kindly, without judgement, put a bathrobe over me as I threw up into a trash can after drinking too many Kamikazes at a fraternity party. I remember how she introduced me to Havarti cheese and bean sprout sandwiches on whole grain bread. I remember how she bravely continued to take German, while I took one Spanish Lit. class and then let it go. And I remember how much we both loved then, and still love now, curling up with a good book. Our conversation took me back to a classroom in Fisk Hall on the shore of Lake Michigan, talking to my fellow journalism students about this book: “Slouching Toward Bethlehem.” It was the first time I remember eagerly speaking up in class about a book, because I loved it so much. From that point on everything Joan Didion wrote would speak to me, but it all started with this book. First published in 1961, it is a collection of essays about American life in the 1960s, exploring everything from murder and hippies to movie stars and politics. Some of the articles first appeared in the “Saturday Evening Post.” Collectively, they tell the story of a California writer trying to report on her times, while also lifting the lid on objectivity, and deftly inserting her own perspective onto the page. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.