Slouching Towards BethlehemSlouching Towards Bethlehem
Score Classic
What it's about
Joan Didion's twenty essays capture America in the 1960s, from John Wayne and the Newport mansions to the hippies of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury, as well as her own life in California and New York. The title essay is a landmark of literary journalism.
Why it's worth reading
It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books. It established Didion as one of the great essayists of her time.
You'll love it if you liked
The Year of Magical Thinking
The White Album
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and ArgumentsGood to know
The essays stand alone. 'Goodbye to All That' is one of the most famous essays about New York.
By the numbers
- Readers64 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller24 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
More by Joan Didion
The Year of Magical Thinking
Play It as It LaysThe White AlbumIf you like this, read next
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Color Purple
1984
The Lord of the Rings
A Brief History of TimeExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is Slouching Towards Bethlehem worth reading?
Yes. It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books. It ranks #803 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Slouching Towards Bethlehem about?
Joan Didion's twenty essays capture America in the 1960s, from John Wayne and the Newport mansions to the hippies of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury, as well as her own life in California and New York. The title essay is a landmark of literary journalism.
How long does it take to read Slouching Towards Bethlehem?
About 7 hours (264 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Slouching Towards Bethlehem?
If you liked it, try The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, The White Album by Joan Didion or A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace.