Slouching Towards Bethlehem

The series of short stories... how does an author put them together?  Is there a “through-line” of sorts that connect them to “fit” nicely together?  Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem does meet my particular criterion for them to make “sense” to me.  There are three parts to the book. In part one, Lifestyles in the Golden  Land  (referring to stories of people and places during the 1960s in California  *as a side note, I often make fun of Cali or the Left Coast, a state I have never visited), Didion shares stories that capture the culture of the time and the carefree and “star struck” nature of the area.  From the drug using teens to John Wayne, all give a particular flavor that Didion tried to understand and write about.  The second grouping of stories, the Personals (not my favorite), provided values and perspectives on morality to self-respect.  Finally, the third section, Seven Places of the Mind (my personal favorite!), gave brief glimpses into the feel of American cities/places, such as Hawaii, LA, Alcatraz, and NYC!  I also enjoyed reading on people’s perspectives of the city I have called home for 9 years TODAY, yes it is my anniversary of the date I came to NYC – coincidence? Take a read at the Celestine Prophecy (one of the RA Favorite books). Joan had it right.  It is a city that you wake up one day and you say, I have been here 9 years (same amount of time she lived there --- does that mean something for me soon?), and you realize you are tired and ready for something different.  She gave a 1960s view into Madison Avenue, the way it feels to walk across 62^nd Street to the Park (if you live in NYC you know what park I am referring), the food in the West Village, or the crowds in Times Square.  Do things really change?  Didion’s language is colorful and her view into the life of the time was refreshing.  I tend to like social-science books that delve into the life of the day.  These are true stories/ reflections, so for those looking for a bit more fiction, this is not your read.  Thumbs up for me!