This was a treat that delved into a lot of American history. Even the El Salvador essay speaks to certain qualities of being an American in the world. They're all to the point and explore things that weren't quite part of the original narrative. From the Central Park Five, to the Clinton scandal and even the aftermath of 9/11, the essays look at the context and impact. They take a dive into the points around that weren't popular to consider. I think this is one of the gifts of much of Didion's writing, exploring what it means to be part of something, an event or a group. What is created as a result of your participation. This is something that is always worth thinking about as an American, as a human.

Love her political writings.

lots of good stories bundled together..a good introduction or overview to her work..

this needs to be essential American reading.

I lost the book a few days ago with 8(!) pages left, and have been unable to find a new copy. I think it might be time to move on

borrowed from kian.
i read it on the plane and on the beach.
the briskness of the writing made it ideal for vacation reading.
it also made me realize how uniformed i am of news events from my earlier life.
even the clinton administration was largely a mystery to me.

I've always liked Didion's writing, and this little reader was a great reintroduction to it. As usual I was a little over my head with some of her political writing, but found it fascinating nonetheless. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the history of 20th century America and its politics. There is also a sharp and brilliant essay from 2002 at the end of the book, about the war on terror, which I think is still relevant now, 15 years later. Full blog post here: https://theselittlewords.com/2017/10/...

structural violence in prose

I'm going to try this new thing where I just do capsule-style reviews. Here's a go:

I'd only previously read "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Didion--and, considering my admittedly non-existent experience with having lost loved ones, didn't connect to it in the way so many seem to have (at least on an emotional level). Nonetheless, I found her prose style there to be breathtaking, and it's in full form in this short collection. Vintage Didion collects essays from several books--three from "After Henry," three from "Miami," two from "Salvador," one from "Political Fictions," and one based on a lecture concerning September 11th. Truly, every essay was spot-on, though Didion really confronts me with the fact that I'm pathetically unsavvy with politics. The essay on NY and the Central Park Jogger case was perhaps one of the best non-fiction essays I've ever read. Though it's clear she's done her research and doesn't mind showing as much, it comes across as astute rather than showy, fluid rather than stuffed full of other people's facts and writings. Her logic is fascinating to watch, in the sense that she moves from the most micro-level observations into smart arguments about much much larger questions. Thus, the Central Park Jogger case becomes an essay on ideologies of crime and class, specific to NYC over the past 150 years, but reaching outward, as well. And then she sweeps back into her initial arresting claims. The essay on good ol' Bill's sexual exposure in "Clinton Agonistes" was particularly provocative, as was the Sept. 11th essay, and the one on Patty Hearst. I think I was swimming too deep in the Salvador/Miami pieces, but they too are beautifully written and argued.

I'm really looking forward to moving through more of her work--and as a close friend tells me, I'm an awful idiot and a bad Lit PhD for not having read her novel "Play It As It Lays." Any case, this is probably a great introduction to Didion--at least to her more politically-minded work. I'm trying to think of lovely descriptors for her, but the one that sticks out most for me at the moment is 'shrewd'--she's got a hawk's eye to everything she mentions, and watching her follow through that sightline into an argument is inspiring. Read it, for sure.

Her writing on Reagan is eerily prescient of what we're facing with Trump today

Collection of Didion's work from Miami, n  After Henryn, Salvador, and Political Fictions. Missing selections from her most famous book, n  Slouching Towards Bethlehemn, but that is OK, I have that one and have already read it. If your are interested in reading about 60's and 70's counterculture from someone who was there and documenting it with a passionate eye, Didion is for you...and this collection is notable for it's attempt to give an overview of her work.

Even now, Joan Didion's essay on Patty Hearst is a great read. Her essay on the Clinton / Lewinsky debacle was good though not as interesting. The one on terrorism got a bit tedious. Perhaps, the further removed we are from some things, the more clearly we can see them.