Joan Didion

Author profile

born

in Sacramento, California, The United States

December 05, 1934

gender

female

genre

Literature & Fiction, Nonfiction

About this author

edit data

Joan Didion was born in California and lives in New York City. She's best known for her novels and her literary journalism.
Her novels and essays explore the disintegration of American morals and cultural chaos, where the overriding theme is individual and social fragmentation. A sense of anxiety or dread permeates much of her work.

combine editions
Joan Didion's Books

Average rating: 3.86 · 88,544 ratings · 8,874 reviews · 38 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Year of Magical Thinking 3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 avg rating — 50,646 ratings — published 2005 — 38 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Slouching Towards Bethlehem 4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 avg rating — 8,456 ratings — published 1968 — 20 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Blue Nights 3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 avg rating — 8,611 ratings — published 2011 — 20 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion, David Thomson (Introduction) 3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 7,642 ratings — published 1970 — 23 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The White Album 4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 avg rating — 4,312 ratings — published 1979 — 10 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion, Oscar Liebman (Illustrator) 3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 avg rating — 1,308 ratings — published 1977 — 15 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Where I Was From 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 1,287 ratings — published 2003 — 8 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Democracy 3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 avg rating — 939 ratings — published 1984 — 17 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Salvador 3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 avg rating — 970 ratings — published 1983 — 11 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live: Collected Nonfiction by Joan Didion, John Leonard (Introduction) 4.45 of 5 stars 4.45 avg rating — 719 ratings — published 2006 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Joan Didion…

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Quotes by Joan Didion

“Grammar is a piano I play by ear.”
― Joan Didion, Essays & Conversations

tags: grammar

1,291 people liked it

“Life changes in the instant. The ordinary instant.”
― Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking

746 people liked it

“I think we are well advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not. Otherwise they turn up unannounced and surprise us, come hammering on the mind's door at 4 a.m. of a bad night and demand to know who deserted them, who betrayed them, who is going to make amends.”
― Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem

248 people liked it

See all Joan Didion's quotes »

Polls

February 2013 Genre:
Autobiography/Biography

Deadline to vote will be 1/27/13. There can only be one winner. Happy Reading.

Agatha Christie: An English Mystery by Laura Thompson

4 votes, 36.4%

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

4 votes, 36.4%

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

2 votes, 18.2%

In My Father's Country by Saima Wahab

1 vote, 9.1%

11 total votes

comments and details

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Challenge: 50 Books: Melanie's List.	7	41	Feb 11, 2008 06:19pm
The Seasonal Read...: By Blood or Marriage (25.2)	41	249	Aug 24, 2009 02:23pm
Challenge: 50 Books: Barb's 50 books for 2009	80	477	Dec 31, 2009 06:37am
The Seasonal Read...: WINTER CHALLENGE 2009-2010 COMPLETED TASKS	3171	2979	Feb 28, 2010 09:02pm
The Seasonal Read...: Winter 2009 - Tasks, Questions, Scores, etc.	388	421	Mar 01, 2010 08:16am
The Seasonal Read...: 30.5 (PJ Reads' Task - As Suggested By Tanja - Six Degrees of Separation)	349	361	May 26, 2010 07:44am

More…

Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite Joan to Goodreads.

Joan's Fans (769)