New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson discusses her new book, “We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine,” which explores the California author’s prescient understanding of how entertainment would colonize American political life.

Wilkinson examines Didion’s work through the lens of a Hollywood insider and cultural critic, revealing how she anticipated our drift toward manufactured realities and endless performance — from Ronald Reagan’s performative presidency to modern reality television-style governance.

This post is FREE for everyone. Please spread it far and wide. And please consider becoming a paid subscriber to TalkCocktail. It’s $8 a month or just $80 for the entire year!

Get full access to Talk Cocktail Podcast at jeffschechtman.substack.com/subscribe