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Let Me Tell You What I Mean
Let Me Tell You What I Mean | Joan Didion
11 posts | 18 read | 13 to read
From one of our most iconic and influential writers: a timeless collection of mostly early pieces that reveal what would become Joan Didion's subjects, including the press, politics, California robber barons, women, and her own self-doubt. These twelve pieces from 1968 to 2000, never before gathered together, offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of a legendary figure. They showcase Joan Didion's incisive reporting, her empathetic gaze, and her role as "an articulate witness to the most stubborn and intractable truths of our time" (The New York Times Book Review). Here, Didion touches on topics ranging from newspapers ("the problem is not so much whether one trusts the news as to whether one finds it"), to the fantasy of San Simeon, to not getting into Stanford. In "Why I Write," Didion ponders the act of writing: "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means." From her admiration for Hemingway's sentences to her acknowledgment that Martha Stewart's story is one "that has historically encouraged women in this country, even as it has threatened men," these essays are acutely and brilliantly observed. Each piece is classic Didion: incisive, bemused, and stunningly prescient.
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LindaLappin
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“I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” --Joan Didion

#WeRemember @Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Eggs Great quote! 3y
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Christine
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Pickpick

My credibility as a reader and a Californian was questionable because I‘d never read Joan Didion. Was so sorry to hear of her passing but appreciated learning more about her via its coverage. This collection was Libby-available, so I went with it. Glad I did, because the long foreword taught me a lot about Didion and her writing, and I enjoyed each piece. I‘ll read more of her work and am especially eager for more of the CA-focused stuff.

DivineDiana I have two of her books on my TBR stacks, that I now plan to read in 2022. 🙂 3y
Christine @DivineDiana Aww, great. I hope you love them, when you get to them! 3y
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AlizaApp
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Pickpick

Joan is perfect as always in this collection of previously unpublished work. I can see why a few of these might have been overlooked before but I was still happy to read them now.

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Kimberlone
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Pickpick

Mild pick. I love Joan Didion‘s writing, and there were some standout pieces in this collection, but the book was too slight to really justify its existence. The foreword by Hilton Als constituted 12% of the book, and there are only 6 total essays included, some of which I skimmed more than read, and others I sank into. The essays about Gamblers Anonymous and Ernest Hemingway‘s writing were my favorites.

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thebacklistbook
Mehso-so

I found Ms Didion's writing style easy to engage with. Though I did not agree with her on most things discussed in this essay collection. Except the Martha Stewart chapter.

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Pruzy
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Pickpick

Going to be catching up on reviews so be prepared for a flurry of posts in the next hour!

Let Me Tell You What I Mean was my first Joan Didion book. It was a decent starting point to understand the legend that is Didion! At the same time I left the book feeling like I need to read her more iconic works to fully get what she is all about.

Recommended!

britt_brooke I still need to read this! I think you‘ll really enjoy her other nonfiction. I love when she writes about 60s California the most. 4y
Pruzy @britt_brooke Yes! That is the iconic Didion stuff I want to read! Have you read the essay collection Dead Girls by Alice Bolin? Despite the title of her collection one of the essays is about what it was like for her reading Didion‘s works about LA when Bolin herself just moved to LA and was a lonely newcomer 4y
britt_brooke @Pruzy I haven‘t, but I‘ll add it to my TBR - thanks! 4y
Pruzy @britt_brooke Hehe, you added it to your tbr? Awesome! 4y
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Augustdana
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Just finished the intro, and I‘m excited to get into it this weekend. Happy Friday!!

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BekaReid
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Pickpick

Joan Didion is always able to draw me in and give me something to think about in an understated, nudging manner. This collection of essays was no exception. "Some Women" stands out the most, but I recommend it as a whole.

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AlexGeorge
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Pickpick

“Grammar is a piano I play by ear... all I know about grammar is its infinite power.” #didion #genius #writing

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TheBookStacker
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My Queen. 🥰

wanderinglynn I should read more of her as I loved 4y
54 likes2 stack adds1 comment