Known for her extensive observations of different American subcultures, and her explicit writing on issues surrounding the disintegration of American morals and cultural chaos, award-winning journalist and writer Joan Didion has left an indelible mark on literary journalism as she is revered for her unique ability to capture American life.
Here are the top 10 books written by American legendary author and writer Joan Didion.
1. Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968)
This book features a collection of essays about the writer’s experiences in California during the 1960s.
2. The Year of Magical Thinking (2005)
In this book, she recounts the year following the death of the writer’s husband, John Gregory Dunne.
3. The White Album (1979)
The White Album is another collection of essays by Didion that is also based around the events in California.
4. Play It as It Lays (1970)
Didion’s Play It as It Lays paints a ruthlessly true picture of American life in the late 1960s.
5. South and West (2017)
She recounts a road trip that she and her husband, John Gregory Dunne, took through the Southeastern United States in the 1970s.
6. Blue Nights (2011)
Didion mourns the loss of a family member, Blue Nights gives an account of the death of the writer’s daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne.
7. After Henry (1992)
This book delves into various aspects of American life in the 1980s, from the racial battlefields of New York’s criminal courts.
8. The Last Thing He Wanted (1996)
Many who are fond of Didion’s fiction credit her with the ability to tell a tale in puzzle and this book gave that.
9. A Book of Common Prayer ( 1977)
This Joan Didion novel is about politics, tragedy, and womanhood in Boca Grande, Central America.
10. Run River (1963)
Run River begins with a marriage, ends with suicide, and languishes slightly in the middle.
