Where I Was From: A Memoir

"Where I Was From" is a really well written, thoughtful work of Joan Didion. I need to begin by stating that Joan Didion is perhaps my favorite contemporary author. Therefore i have potential bias and I suspect that some readers will not find this work as completely enthralling as I do. If one has read Joan Didion's work in the past, I think one will find this to be a rather typical work of hers. It is extremely intelligent, erudite, and thought provoking. On the other hand the narrative moves slowly and I need to read it in segments as the work requires my full attention. Additionally, I purchased the accompanying audiobook, narrated by Gabrielle De Cuir. I felt she did a particularly excellent job reading the book, and thereby assisting me with my own "flawed inner narrator".Speaking for myself, I generally read a section of this work, first thing in the morning, while I sip a cup of coffee, before anyone else is up, with no other distractions of any kind. It is precisely the way I read the work of my absolute favorite author, George Eliot. I also do parallel reading whenever Miss Didion discusses persons, subjects, or incidents with whom I am unfamiliar. In that context it takes me significantly more time to read a work such as this than its length would otherwise suggest.As described above, Joan Didion mixes a history of her family and her own life, with a history of California. The other work of hers that this reminds me the most of is "Sloughing Towards Bethlehem". Also, within this work, she refers to another work of hers, which happens to be my favorite novel of hers, "Run, River". Again that is a slow moving, thoughtful work of fiction. Personally I am glad that I happened to read "Run, River" before I read this work. Another reader might wish to reverse that sequence.In summary, I completely loved this work. I mostly do not travel in literary circles. However I have had some readers inform me that they only really enjoy lighter reading experiences, whether it be fiction or non fiction. I completely and truly respect that fact and am glad to know it. I prefer an eclectic mixture of books. I only mention this in case one enjoys strictly lighter reading, one might not be as enthralled with this work as I am. Thank You for taking the time to read this review.

Perhaps I should have read this book before The Year of Magical Thinking, because I have now completely reversed my opinion (in the positive direction) of Didion and her writing. In Where I Was From, Didion has written a book that makes my scalp tingle with admiration. I read the book over a period of one week, in supermarket lines, doctor's offices, every sort of place I could squeeze in another sentence, paragraph, or chapter. I read aloud sections of chapters to my beloved husband, and made a pest of myself - interrupting his morning read of the New York Times. "You MUST hear this!" I would announce, and indeed, he would always end up glad.The Crossing: Are you interested in the pioneers and the westward movement in the 1800s? This book brings intimate stories of particular families (including Didion's) to life, but in the CONTEXT of the larger move West, what it signifies, and how it has shaped the character of California and its residents TODAY. "The crossing" is the title Didion gives to what had to be chucked without a backward glance, to "make it to the pass in time before winter." California, she tells us, was flooded by people, not JUST the Donner party, who had to learn to let go and cast their pasts and cherished possessions and even faltering children and parents to the winds, the prairie, to unmarked graves, to the Dust Bowl - and move forward.Why is California what it Is? Are you interested in the railroads, urban sprawl, the loss of wetland, the missing "old California" (which may have been an illusion to start with), the unemployed and homeless, the loss of funding for education, the millions occupying our prisons, the budget crisis in Sacramento, the water wars, agribusiness, and.... how all this ties together and links to the pioneers and the gold rush? Nothing is accidental, says Didion. It is the same "movie" replayed over and over. We have been careless in the way of the Great Gatsby, here in this state, breaking things, but with a spirit of optimism and good will that may save us after all. This book is profound and sad, half poetry, half NPR, half Men to Match my Mountains, and I have run out of halves!I wish you the pleasure of finding this book, reading it, and perhaps being inspired to write a memoire of a similar sort: putting personal lives into the larger historical context. We need more of this!!!

Very focused on California itself - I have read about 7 of her books and must say this one has been the only one so far that I found difficult to read. Don’t get me wrong it’s Joan Didion and I love it and will read it until the end, it just to make you aware that is it extremely focused on California and politics of that time.

Alles war ganz super und schnell! Service war sehr gut! Ich wurde diese Firma nochmals benutzen. Ich danke Ihnen nochmal.

Dans un américain accessible pour qui a un niveau d'anglais moyen (moyen +), une découverte de la vraie Amérique, celle des gens ordinaires, qui révèle l'histoire de l'Amérique et l'héritage qu'en ont des gens ordinaires.

Book arrived with a few stains on the cover which I managed to remove in the end, the actual book is great though!