There are few states that have had as curious of a trajectory over the 20th century quite like California. Nowadays it's known as the liberal mecca of The United States, but in the 1960s things looked much different. In an era just before the Manson family murders and the Vietnam War, the world was changing. The counterculture was cropping up and the state was experiencing a wave of conservatism. What exactly made this the land of opportunity, where people sang joyfully about coming to start anew? In one of her most acclaimed books, Joan Didion tackles the subject by focusing on everything that made California attractive, from the film industry to murder mysteries and even personal enlightenment. As a compendium of essays written during the era, it's an essential look into a moment in time that feels as alive as it did at the time.
As a writer, there is an affection and curiosity that drives Didion's style. From the opening chapter, she embraces the unknown by focusing on a murder mystery in one of the many small towns that appear between the major cities. There's little that necessarily is known about the place other than that tragedy breeds curiosity. It serves as the perfect allegory for everything that's to follow. Everyone comes here to find some meaning, playing into the communative look into the morbid and hoping to understand how any of this exists. While the following chapter focuses on her affection for western movies, it's clear that Didion views the state largely as a prism where everyone ends up, needing to figure out things about themselves that the other states couldn't.
That's in part because California, geographically, is about as far as the continent can go. Everyone travels that way in hopes that they find truth after trying and failing elsewhere. For a land that's filled with fires and misunderstood icons like Joan Baez, there's the sense that everyone brings their own identity in an attempt to make it something special. Over three different sections, Didion starts her journey as a blanket statement before turning it into something more singular, looking at personal diaries that reflect on her own divorce. At one point she even travels to Hawaii in an attempt to overcome any sadness from her failing marriage. The pursuit of happiness is something that is constantly being searched for, but what does any of that mean?
In some of her strongest chapters, she explores the counterculture movement led by the hippies. As an observer, she peers into their gatherings in search of greater meaning. Are they actually achieving anything with their free love style and getting high? The observations that she makes never criticize her subjects, instead allows herself to enjoy the presence of community, constantly wondering what the future of this state will be. In a time where that answer wasn't entirely clear, it's a fascinating read. It's a time where things were slowly shifting to a familiar nihilism, of a belief that Richard Nixon was going to destroy the country. The uncertainty shines through and makes one wonder just what anyone should do since life is so short.
For as much as she attacks California's many faults, one of her greatest strengths comes in the few chapters where she writes about life outside of the state. Serving as a perfect contrast, she talks about her time in Hawaii and the early days in New York. For the former, she talks about how attractive city life is until certain factors are brought into consideration. New York is a young person's town, where the constant need to be in motion is exhausting and the prices are sometimes too much. For whatever faults California has, it's not nearly as complicated, more social, and allowed to be a bastion for opportunity. The comparison is what ends the book and ultimately suggests that for whatever is wrong with California, it's home.
"Slouching Towards Bethlehem" is one of the essential looks into 1960s America, finding ways to show a cross-section of cultures doing their best to survive and make a new identity. With a 20th century that was going in a very uncertain direction, Didion does plenty to depict how everyone tries to make the most of things, rising up and forming their own voices. While each story may not show direct relation to each other, they all form the bigger tapestry of what it means to be alive and searching for meaning. Every tangential detail is what connects them, from murder to movies and politics. It's impossible for it to not inform some part of the subconscious, and Didion does it so well that it feels like living in the moment, experiencing her divorce or seeing Baez performing live. She had a love for humanity, and it's what makes her timeless.
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