An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List

Joan Didion

3 books referenced

Books by Joan Didion

Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Referenced in 4 episodes

Ep. 466: Direwolves and Ancient Hunting Dogs

August 07, 2023

Context:

Speaker 1 references Joan Didion's book while discussing how people cope with overwhelming amounts of information and the appeal of conspiracy theories. The speaker uses Didion's insights about people choosing between understanding complex information or believing they know 'a little thing that no one else knows' to explain phenomena like the 'dog star' alien theory.

Ep. 146: Bigfoot

December 10, 2018

Context:

Steve Rinella references this Joan Didion work (or possibly 'The White Album' - he's uncertain which) when discussing Didion's ideas about how people rebel against information by clinging to myths and conspiracies. He mentions this is written 'pre-Internet' and discusses her thesis about people wanting to feel special by knowing 'truths' others don't see.

Ep. 072: American Wilderness

July 13, 2017

Context:

Steve mentions this book in the context of discussing people who live in an 'intellectual fantasy land.' He notes it was written in the pre-Internet age and discusses Didion's observations about information overload and how people retreat from the effort of truly informing themselves about issues.

Ep. 030

March 04, 2016

Context:

Speaker discusses Joan Didion's observations about how increased information availability in the 1960s made people hungry for 'secret stories' and inside scoops. This was mentioned in the context of discussing conspiracy theories about wolf reintroduction. The speaker was uncertain whether this content was in 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem' or 'The White Album'.

Slouching towards Bethlehem

Referenced in 1 episode

Ep. 340: People Getting Confused By Animals

June 13, 2022

Context:

Referenced during a discussion about how people process information. The speaker mentions Didion's observation from this book about there being so much information that people become thirsty for something simple to understand.

The White Album

Referenced in 3 episodes

Ep. 146: Bigfoot

December 10, 2018

Context:

Mentioned as possibly containing the same Joan Didion essay about rebelling against information that Steve is trying to recall. He's uncertain whether the reference is in 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem' or 'The White Album.'

Ep. 072: American Wilderness

July 13, 2017

Context:

Mentioned alongside 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem' as one of Joan Didion's two books about the sixties, though Steve indicates he thinks the quote he's referencing is from Slouching Towards Bethlehem rather than this one.

Ep. 030

March 04, 2016

Context:

Speaker discusses Joan Didion's observations about how increased information availability in the 1960s made people hungry for 'secret stories' and inside scoops. This was mentioned in the context of discussing conspiracy theories about wolf reintroduction. The speaker was uncertain whether this content was in 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem' or 'The White Album'.