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My impression was she wrote more about LA and eastern California than about the Bay Area, but it has been a long time since I opened Slouching Towards Bethlehem
by cafard 6y ago
My impression was she wrote more about LA and eastern California than about the Bay Area, but it has been a long time since I opened Slouching Towards Bethlehem or The White Album. I think you're right, though. The later stuff, I can't say--one of these days I should acquire a copy of her and Dunne's The Monster.
- okareaman 6y agoI think what people remember is her take on SF's "Summer of Love" which she depicts as a dystopia worthy of a William Gibson novel. Vast dislocations of uprooted people with no meaning in their lives, that sort of thing. It had its downsides, to be sure, but there was also a spirit of fun and experimentation towards a new society. I prefer Tom Wolfe's "Electric Koolaid Acid Test," which I thought captured the spirit better. Edit: There's a documentary on Netflix I highly recommend. Joan Didion "The Center Will Not Hold"
- cafard 6y agoI had forgotten that essay.