Wakefield wrote, "Didion's first collection of nonfiction writing, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, brings together some of the finest magazine pieces published by anyone in this country in recent years. Now that Truman Capote has pronounced that such work may achieve the stature of 'art,' perhaps it is possible for this collection to be recognized as it should be: not as a better or worse example of what some people call 'mere journalism,' but as a rich display of some of the best prose written today in this country." References External links Dan Wakefield in The New York Times Book Review on Slouching Towards Bethlehem book page on the official website 1968 non-fiction books American essay collections Essay collections by Joan Didion Works originally published in American magazines Books about the San Francisco Bay Area Books about California