![Meh](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_soso.png)
A California I haven‘t known but have sometimes met
The state of California has a lot of cultural mythology surrounding it. Anyone who grew up there or lived there for any length of time should read this book. Joan Didion was born and grew up in Sacramento, and this incisive series of essays puts a truer perspective on California history. The writing is superb. Five stars.
#HeatOfJuly Day 8: I didn‘t know that Didion was one of em #CaliforniaGurls - this memoir of hers also evoke a strong sense of place, apparently.
Although she no longer lives here, Joan Didion is from Sacramento. The only book I've read of hers is her first one, a novel set here, Run River. It was written in the 60s, and it was fun to read about familiar places in such a different time. Where I Was From is nonfiction about California, and I understand there is a lot of material about my region, so that's one of hers I'd really like to get to. #localauthor #aprilbookshowers
After reading Play It as It Lays, I put a dozen Didion books on hold. This memoir-style collection of essays traces her attachment to California, the place and the idea. The early chapters are slow and heavy on genealogy, but in characteristic Didion style each part is pulled tight by the end.