Political Fictions [Paperback]

National Bestseller

In these coolly observant essays, Joan Didion looks at the American political process and at that handful of insiders who invent, year in and year out, the narrative of public life. Through the deconstruction of the sound bites and photo ops of three presidential campaigns, one presidential impeachment, and an unforgettable sex scandal, Didion reveals the mechanics of American politics. She tells us the uncomfortable truth about the way we vote, the candidates we vote for, and the people who tell us to vote for them. These pieces build, one on the other, into a disturbing portrait of the American political landscape, providing essential reading on our democracy.

One of our most cherished and insightful explicators of American culture...brings her perspective to the ultimate insider world. --San Francisco Chronicle

 Winner of the George Polk Book Award

A Foreword

Insider Baseball

The West Wing of Oz

Eyes on the Prize

Newt Gingrich, Superstar

Political Pornography

Clinton Agonistes

Vichy Washington

God’s Country“One of our most cherished and insightful explicators of American culture...brings her perspective to the ultimate insider world.”–San Francisco Chronicle

“Splendid . . . Didion [is] on pure zen target . . . [with] her sonar ear, her radar eye, and her ice pick/laser beam/night—scope sniper prose.” –TheNew York Times Book Review

“A steel spine of political argument . . . a mordant wit, refined critical powers, and a bone-deep knowledge of the ways in which Americans like to amuse and fool themselves.” –The Washington PostBook World

“One of the most preeminent voices of journalism has stepped into the ring. . . . [A] gift.” –Susan Faludi,The New York Observer

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