The World According to Joan Didion - by Evelyn McDonnell (Hardcover)

About the Book

Inspired by Didion's own words, journalist Evelyn McDonnell presents an illustrated journey through Didion's life, tracing the path she carved from Sacramento, Portuguese Bend, Los Angeles, and Malibu to Manhattan, Miami, and Hawaii. McDonnell reveals the world as it was seen through Didion's eyes and explores her work in chapters keyed to the singular physical motifs of her writing.

Book Synopsis

INDIE BESTSELLER

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2023 by The Millions - B&N Best Books of 2023 - "Shaped by intellectual rigor and artistic grace ... McDonnell's portrait is vibrant, fluent, sensitive, and clarifying." -- Booklist, starred review

An intimate exploration of the life, craft, and legacy of one of the most revered and influential writers, an artist who continues to inspire fans and creatives to cultivate practices of deep attention, rigorous interrogation and beautiful style.

Joan Didion was a writer's writer; not only a groundbreaking journalist, essayist, novelist and screenwriter, but a keen observer who honed her sights on life's telling details. Her insights continue to influence creatives and admirers, encouraging them to become close observers of the world, unsentimental critics, and meticulous stylists.

An antidote to a global view that narrows our vision to the smallest screens, The World According To Joan Didion is a meditation on the people, places, and objects that propelled Didion's prose and an invitation to journalists, storytellers, and life adventurers to "throw themselves into the convulsions of the world," as she once said.

Evelyn McDonnell, the acclaimed journalist, essayist, critic, feminist, native Californian, and university professor who regularly teaches Didion's work, is attuned to interpret Didion's vision for readers today. Inspired by Didion's own words--from her works both published and unpublished--and informed by the people who knew Didion and those whose lives she shaped, The World According to Joan Didion is an illustrated journey through her life, tracing the path she carved from Sacramento, Portuguese Bend, Los Angeles, and Malibu to Manhattan, Miami, and Hawaii. McDonnell reveals the world as it was seen through Didion's eyes and explores her work in chapters keyed to the singular physical motifs of her writing: Snake. Typewriter. Hotel. Notebook. Girl. Etc.

One of the first books to be published after the revered writer's death in 2021, The World According to Joan Didion is a literary companion for those embarking on new journeys and a guide to innovative ways of being. It will radically transform the way you explore the world, and will help you answer the question as you sit in a café, or on a plane or train, pondering the future: What would Joan Didion have seen?

The World According to Joan Didion includes 19 black-and-white illustrations and photos throughout.

• The Writer's Writer: Explore Didion's world through unique physical motifs--from the typewriter to the snake--that defined her distinctive prose and keen observational style.
• New Journalism Pioneer: Go beyond the page with insights from Didion's own words, including unpublished material, and interviews with those who knew her best.
• A Woman's Voice: Follow the path of a native Californian, feminist, and critic who carved a new space for women in American literature, from Sacramento to New York City.
• Legacy of an Icon: Discover why Didion's unsentimental criticism and meticulous style continue to influence a new generation of writers, journalists, and storytellers.
• The California Dream: Delve into the Golden State's myths and realities, tracing a story of American life that travels from the Central Valley to the shores of Malibu.

Review Quotes

"McDonnell offers a thoughtful assessment of Didion's importance but doesn't shy away from Didion's flaws. . . . An appreciative portrait of an iconic author." - Kirkus Reviews

"Evelyn McDonnell has written a wonderfully fitting tribute to Joan Didion: one that avoids simple platitudes, approaching the great writer with a fierce, probing intelligence, flawless language, and the impulse, which drove Didion's finest work, to understand the dreams of another." - Hua Hsu, Pulitzer-winning author of Stay True

"McDonnell's deep knowledge and expertise shines brightly in THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JOAN DIDION, a heartfelt guide to Didion's wide library of work that will not only serve newcomers looking to dive in, but also change the long-standing perceptions of the many who've read Didion's classics numerous times." - Alex Segura, bestselling author of Secret Identity

"A brilliant, visceral interpretation of "the queen of California Noir." - Allison Wolfe, of Bratmobile and cofounder of the Riot Grrrl Movement

"Intrepid journalist, novelist, essayist, and memoirist Joan Didion inspires passionate admiration....Shaped by intellectual rigor and artistic grace in chapters coalescing around totem objects that figured prominently in Didion's life and imagination ... McDonnell's portrait is vibrant, fluent, sensitive, and clarifying."

- Booklist (starred review)

"McDonnell, a writer and journalism professor at Loyola Marymount University, wisely stays away from traditional biography. Instead, she sets out to create 'more of a notebook' about Didion, to capture 'what it was for her to be her, at different places and different times.' Illustrations by the Brooklyn artist Anne Muntges enhance the tender, diary-like feel." - Wall Street Journal

"For the Joan Didion fan in your life, this is a must...it's also just a wonderful appreciation for any literary-minded person, and certainly a fine introduction to the work and life of one of the most celebrated writers of the past 60 years. Smart and concise, it's a welcome and clarifying look at a hugely influential figure." - Esquire, "The 30 Best Books for Holiday Gifting" Roundup

"McDonnell skillfully offers all the lessons she's learned from years of reading, considering, and teaching Didion. ... piercing and poignant. - California Review of Books

"Joan Didion fans will delight in Evelyn McDonnell's intimate portrait of the author and her work ...McDonnell is a smart, concessive writer, not only praising the obviously talented Didion but ruminating on her shortcomings. ... a thoughtful read."

- Montecito Journal

"an impressionistic tour of Didion's life, written with a feminist's eye, a poet's command of language, and a fan's yearning. . . . The World According to Joan Didion is a work of detection: McDonnell examines Didion's sentences for clues about her essence, and her essence for clues about her sentences. . . . Adding particularized insights are McDonnell's interviewees, many of whom knew Didion well. By book's end, McDonnell's readers will feel they do, too." - Shelf Awareness

"Evelyn McDonnell channels Didion's indomitable writing style and spirit in this admirable work. One might say that McDonnell in just over 200 pages manages to describe the unique individual that Joan Didion was far better than was done in an overly long 752-page biography released back in 2015. . . . A brilliant work. Thanks to McDonnell, I now feel like I've finally met the marvelous Joan Didion. Wow." - Portland Book Review