The Ultimate Joan Didion Reading List

The New York Times' film critic explores Didion’s deep ties to Hollywood—where she co-wrote A Star Is Born, mingled with the LA elite, and deconstructed the industry’s illusions in her journalism. From her childhood obsession with John Wayne to her takedown of Tinseltown’s storytelling machine, this book is a look at how Didion captured—and dismantled—America’s most seductive myths.

In South and West, Didion takes us on a road trip through the American South in the '70s, offering razor-sharp observations on race, class, and culture in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. She also reflects on California, the Patty Hearst trial, and her own upbringing in a fascinating and timely look at America through her iconic lens.

This Hollywood insider's memoir reveals the real lives of the people we think we know, with Joan Didion making a memorable cameo as the cool, intellectual aunt we've always wanted. Filled with glamour and heartbreak, Griffin Dunne's rollercoaster book takes us inside the glittering, yet complicated, world that shaped modern American culture.

In a work “that reads like a propulsive novel” according to Oprah Daily, the Vanity Fair editor untangles the connection between the legendary Slouching Towards Bethlehem author Joan Didion and her quintessential LA counterpart Eve Babitz, following the recent discovery of a trove of intimate letters written by the famed Hollywood “It” girl and essayist.

Just out in paperback, this memoir offers a rare glimpse into the literary icon’s world through the eyes of her longtime assistant. Cory Leadbeater reflects on the profound impact of working with Didion while navigating his own struggles with identity, class, and trauma. Part coming-of-age story, part tribute, this beautifully written book captures the quiet power of mentorship and the lasting imprint Didion left on those around her.

Curated by the writer and theater critic Hilton Als, this illustrated hardcover presents a “cross dialogue between Didion's ephemera and the artworks to create a syncopated cacophony of voices that attempt to get at the complex web of culture and politics that the author sought to distill throughout her work,” observed the Brooklyn Rail. Also included are three previously uncollected texts by Didion: "In Praise of Unhung Wreaths and Love" (1969); a much-excerpted 1975 commencement address at UC Riverside; and "The Year of Hoping for Stage Magic" (2007).

This stunner features all of her major works of fiction, journalism, and memoir together for the first time in an irresistible 3-volume boxed set, including renowned works like Slouching Towards Bethlehem, The White Album, Play It As It Lays, and the New York Times best sellers The Year of Magical Thinking, Blue Nights, and South and West.

This illustrated exploration captures the essence of Joan Didion’s life and work. Evelyn McDonnell—an acclaimed journalist, essayist, critic, feminist, native Californian, and university professor who regularly teaches Didion’s work—offers a vibrant, sensitive portrait of the writer through the objects and places that shaped her worldview. Attuned to Didion’s enduring influence, McDonnell interprets her vision for readers today, making this book both an intellectual and artistic window into the world that shaped Didion’s stories.

In the Last Interview series, Melville House Publishing compiles the last public talks of the world’s most fascinating thinkers. Didion is joined in candid conversations by Sheila Heti, Hilton Als, Dave Eggers, Hari Kunzru and many more, showcasing the Sacramento native's "consistently brilliant way of thinking, but also by her shifts in tone over time," according to The Star Tribune. "Patricia Lockwood's introduction - strong, smart and convincing - is reason enough to read the collection."