Slouching Towards Bethlehm by Joan Didion

This classic 1968 work is justly renowned as Joan Didion's finest collection of essays. Its central theme - and the theme behind much of what Didion writes - is the atomisation of American culture, the way in which things have fallen apart and left millions adrift from the cultural and ethical moorings that their ancestors took for granted. 33 years later, it is ironic to look back on the period that the writer depicts with such grim pathos when it is celebrated as a time of idealism and freedom by the survivors of the sixties.

I only got through the first couple of essays and found I had to really concentrate to fully appreciate her style. She writes really, really well and make one think. So I look forward to picking up this work and trying again at a more stable part in my life.