We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine

Named one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2025 by the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, W Magazine, and The Millions, and one of the Best Books of Spring 2025 by Oprah Daily and Town & Country “Sharp, elegant and eye-opening . . . a crucial toolbox for understanding both Joan Didion and Hollywood.” —Emily Nussbaum Joan Didion opened The White Album (1979) with what would become one of the most iconic lines in American literature: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Today, this p