The White Album

essays by Didion

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July 16, 2026

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The White Album is an essay collection by Joan Didion, published in 1979. It delves into the social and cultural shifts of the 1960s, particularly in California. Didion's essays explore diverse topics such as the women's movement, student protests, the rise of the shopping mall, and the experiences of screenwriters in Hollywood. While the title references The Beatles' album, the essays focus on local musicians like The Doors. Didion also reflects on personal experiences, including her struggles with migraines and a trip to Hawaii with her husband, John Gregory Dunne.12

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American literature
Literary biography and the new journalism
…Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968) and The White Album (1979). The title essay of the first collection was an honest investigation of the forces that gave color and significance to the counterculture of the 1960s, a subject also explored with stylistic flourish by journalists as different as Tom Wolfe and Hunter…
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…Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968) and The White Album (1979). The title essay of the first collection was an honest investigation of the forces that gave color and significance to the counterculture of the 1960s, a subject also explored with stylistic flourish by journalists as different as Tom Wolfe and Hunter…
Read More

Joan Didion
The White Album
In a second collection, The White Album (1979), Didion continued her analysis of the turbulent 1960s. Topics include the women’s movement, the student protest movement, the rise of the shopping mall in America, the building of Hoover Dam, and the screenwriter’s experience in Hollywood.
Read More
In a second collection, The White Album (1979), Didion continued her analysis of the turbulent 1960s. Topics include the women’s movement, the student protest movement, the rise of the shopping mall in America, the building of Hoover Dam, and the screenwriter’s experience in Hollywood.
Read More