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A review by casparb
The White Album by Joan Didion
4.0
This book seems to have been advertised as an account of the explosive decadence of the 60s, from the insider's perspective. There's about 50 pages on the kinds of things you'd expect - tales of Jim Morrison, the murder of Sharon Tate. But that's not what The White Album is, and for that, I'm grateful.
Didion is a master of economic prose. A lot of journalists don't quite work for me (Mr. Orwell perchance), but Joan here seems to strike an interesting, if not strictly professional balance. She's clearly a ruthless self-editor, but I get the sense that she has the journalistic instinct to avoid putting too much of herself in the narrative, while being herself such a strong personality that the writing is entirely characterful.
This book justifies itself by the stories that don't automatically come to mind when we consider stereotypes of the 60s and 70s. There's a rather effective chapter about the construction of malls, a discourse on migraines, and a variety of short chapters on the Black Panthers and the latest developing feminist waves. Take a look perhaps - it's a light one, best suited for a short time off.
Didion is a master of economic prose. A lot of journalists don't quite work for me (Mr. Orwell perchance), but Joan here seems to strike an interesting, if not strictly professional balance. She's clearly a ruthless self-editor, but I get the sense that she has the journalistic instinct to avoid putting too much of herself in the narrative, while being herself such a strong personality that the writing is entirely characterful.
This book justifies itself by the stories that don't automatically come to mind when we consider stereotypes of the 60s and 70s. There's a rather effective chapter about the construction of malls, a discourse on migraines, and a variety of short chapters on the Black Panthers and the latest developing feminist waves. Take a look perhaps - it's a light one, best suited for a short time off.