Let Me Tell You What I Mean: A new collection of essays

Twelve early pieces never before collected that offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of Joan Didion. Mostly drawn from the earliest part of her astonishing five-decade career, the wide-ranging pieces in this collection include Didion writing about a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, a visit to San Simeon, and a reunion of WWII veterans in Las Vegas, and about topics ranging from Nancy Reagan to Robert Mapplethorpe to Martha Stewart. Here are subjects Didion has long written about – the press, politics, California robber baronsac, women, the act of writing, and her own self-doubt. Each piece is classic Didion: incisive and, in new light, stunningly prescient. Didion's collection of essays provides a compelling insight into her mind, revealing her thoughts on a variety of topics from compulsive gambling to the performing arts. Her literary prowess shines through in each piece, making this book a must-read for fans of her work. For fans of Alissa Wilkinson (We Tell Ourselves Stories), Griffin Dunne (The Friday Afternoon Club), Sylvia Plath (The Collected Prose of Sylvia Plath), Ocean Vuong (Night Sky with Exit Wounds), and Patti Smith (Year of the Monkey).