Joan Didion: The 1980s & 90s (LOA #341): Salvador / Democracy / Miami / After Henry / The Last Thing He Wanted (Library of America)

This collection,Joan Didion: The 1980s & 90s (LOA #341): Salvador / Democracy / Miami / After Henry / The Last Thing He Wanted (Library of America, published handsomely by Library of America features Didion’s writing in the ’80s and ’90s. There are five stories collected in this volume. The first, Salvador, is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the immigration problem. Try living in a country where people disappear and feel the desperation of such uncertainty. Didion is a genius of observation. Her power of fully seeing is apparent in every sentence. She is one of our greatest writers and this volume is essential for any library.

This volume of two decades will also take the reader all over the globe from Salvador, Miami, Honolulu, Costa Rica, and back to Didion’s native California. Didion’s forte is that she can write about any culture, or sub-culture and bring it to vivid life. Her eye is that of a journalist, but her storytelling even eclipses that skill. Along with the stories, there is an index and author chronology. This is an essential and highly readable book.