COURSES – FALL 2026 / Old Courses / WONDERFUL BOOKS OUT LOUD: SLOUCHING TOWARDS BETHLEHEM

Coordinators: Harriet Finkelstein Larry Shapiro, Ruth Ward

When published in 1968, Slouching Towards Bethlehem was critically acclaimed and cemented Joan Didion’s reputation as a uniquely insightful cultural observer.

For many readers, its themes of anxiety, societal fragmentation, and the search for meaning continue to resonate in the modern era. The writing is tight and scrappy; the work of Joan Didion is not simply prose, it is art. Join us as we revel in reading aloud Slouching Towards Bethlehem.

B WEEK / MONDAY / 10:30 AM – NOON / IN-PERSON / ROOM 27

Wonderful Books Out Loud
DateFacilitatorTitle
Feb 09Harriet FinkelsteinThe Second Coming by W.B. Yeats
Preface, Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream, pages 3-28
Feb 23Ruth WardJohn Wayne: A Love Song, pages 29-41
Where the Kissing Never Stops, pages 42-60
Mar 09Larry ShapiroComrade Laski, pages 61-66
7000 Romaine, Los Angeles, pages 67-72,
California Dreaming, pages 73-78
Marry Absurd, pages 79-83
Mar 23Harriet FinkelsteinSlouching Towards Bethlehem, pages 84-128
 
Apr 06Ruth WardOn Keeping A Notebook, pages 131-141
On Self-Respect, pages 142-148
I Can’t Get That Monster, pages 149-156
Apr 27Larry ShapiroOn Morality, pages 157-163
On Going Home, pages 164-168
Notes from a Native Daughter, pages 171-186
Letter from Paradise, pages 187-204
May 11Harriet FinkelsteinRock of Ages, pages 205-208
The Seacoast of Despair, pages 209-213
Guaymas, Sonora, pages 214-216
Los Angeles Notebook, pages 217-224
Goodbye to All That, pages 225-238

 


Other Classes: