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Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Essays

Audiobook
0 of 4 copies available
Wait time: About 14 weeks
0 of 4 copies available
Wait time: About 14 weeks

This program is read by actor and singer-songwriter Maya Hawke, star of Netflix's Stranger Things.
"Narrating in a voice as clear and sustaining as a cool glass of water, Hawke's unflashy approach allows the words to reveal their magic."—The Orange County Register
"Maya Hawke performs this classic collection superbly...Hawke gets Didion's measured pace and thoughtful tone just right as she conveys the much admired author's idiosyncratic, elegant language."—AudioFile (Earphones Award Winner)
Celebrated, iconic, and indispensable, Joan Didion's first work of nonfiction, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, is considered a watershed moment in American writing. First published in 1968, the collection was critically praised as one of the "best prose written in this country."
More than perhaps any other book, this collection by one of the most distinctive prose stylists of our era captures the unique time and place of Joan Didion's focus, exploring subjects such as John Wayne and Howard Hughes, growing up in California and the nature of good and evil in a Death Valley motel room, and, especially, the essence of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury, the heart of the counterculture. As Joyce Carol Oates remarked: "[Didion] has been an articulate witness to the most stubborn and intractable truths of our time, a memorable voice, partly eulogistic, partly despairing; always in control."
A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Maya Hawke performs this classic collection superbly. She pays attention to Joan Didion's exquisite prose and captures her careful observations--such as a 5-year-old on acid in San Francisco and the evolution of her native Sacramento once aerospace engineers arrived, among other topics. Hawke gets Didion's measured pace and thoughtful tone just right as she conveys the much-admired author's idiosyncratic, elegant language. The audiobook vividly brings back the 1960s, when Didion, Tom Wolfe, and Hunter S. Thompson created "new journalism." Didion's various topics include her personal experience in the New York literary world, John Wayne, and observations of postwar Hawaii. Overall, Didion writes eloquently, and Hawke's lovely voice and professional delivery are a good fit. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from March 1, 2025

      The late essayist, journalist, and multiple award-winning literary luminary Didion (The Year of Magical Thinking) first published this collection of nonfiction essays in 1968. With her signature precision and clarity, Didion captures the essence of 1960s California, crafting an enduring historical portrait that remains relevant today. Known for her sharp powers of observation, she transforms her insights into prose with rhythm and precision, with each word chosen with care. These 20 essays evoke the spirit of the time and place, covering topics such as Didion's gimlet-eyed view of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district; reflections on storytelling, acting, and illness ("John Wayne: A Love Story"); and, in "7000 Romaine, Los Angeles 38," the influence of money and power as realized in Howard Hughes's art deco residence. Actor and singer-songwriter Maya Hawke narrates, offering spot-on pacing and a thoughtful tone that perfectly complements Didion's work. Her crystalline voice illuminates the author's elegant language, rendering it with no gimmicks so listeners can focus on the words rather than the performance. VERDICT Didion's timeless essays shine with Hawke at the helm. This audiobook will bring new listeners to this classic and is highly recommended for libraries everywhere.--Christa Van Herreweghe

      Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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