Californians Remember Joan Didion

Shortly aft Joan Didion’s death precocious past week, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed that she had been “the champion surviving writer successful California.”

A fifth-generation Californian, Didion was raised successful Sacramento, earned an English grade astatine U.C. Berkeley and lived for years successful Los Angeles. Her vocation took disconnected successful New York, but it was her keen observations of her location authorities that often struck a chord with readers.

“All that is changeless astir the California of my puerility is the complaint astatine which it disappears,” Didion wrote successful “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” her 1968 postulation of essays. “California is simply a spot successful which a roar mentality and a consciousness of Chekhovian nonaccomplishment conscionable successful uneasy suspension.”

After Didion’s death, New York Times readers shared however her 60-year vocation affected their knowing of their ain lives and the satellite astir them. Here are immoderate remembrances from chap Californians:

“I archetypal work Joan Didion arsenic a teen increasing up successful California successful the ’70s. Until then, I felt alienated from the world. I hadn’t met oregon work anyone who thought similar I did, felt similar I did, looked astatine beingness and the satellite similar I did. She helped maine recognize I wasn’t freakish oregon crazy, that my constituent of presumption was grounded successful information and reality, that I belonged successful this world.” — Glenn M., Sacramento

“Joan showed america however beauteous penning tin be. Her clear, resonating prose touched our hearts and near america breathless.” — Lisa K., San Jose

“In my past courses I ever assigned Didion’s memoir ‘Where I Was From.’ Didion writes astir the spread betwixt what Californians privation to deliberation of themselves and what they successful information are:

‘I was calved successful Sacramento, and lived successful California astir of my life. I learned to aquatics successful the Sacramento and the American, earlier the dams. I learned to thrust connected the levees up and downriver from Sacramento. Yet California has remained successful immoderate mode impenetrable to me, a wearying enigma, arsenic it has to galore of america who are from there. We interest it, close and revise it, effort and neglect to specify our narration to it and its narration to the remainder of the country.’

Thank you for your revisions and corrections, Ms. Didion. They instruct and inspire.” — Monica A., Los Angeles

“Joan Didion truly captured a definite portion of Southern California, with its committedness and ennui, its freeways and haze and haunted places, conscionable past each the Hollywood glitter.

She everlastingly linked the land, the psyche and the times successful precise idiosyncratic ways that spoke to maine and proceed to power me, astir 50 years later. Joan Didion was California Journalism Royalty. RIP.” — Suz L., Mill Valley

“She captured my experiences arsenic a bicoastal Californian perfectly. Love, loss, adventure, fire, screaming down the seashore road to San Francisco. Finally aging and anticipation of decease astir the corner. My hubby is 71. ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ undid me. I treasure each waking moment.” — Patricia G., Los Angeles

“She altered my worldview, my consciousness of self, my appreciation of women writers, and penning operation and style. I person work each published enactment she wrote — starting erstwhile I was a young teenager.

Waking connected a rainy day, I work that she has passed, but there’s a caller prima successful the sky.” — Michelle L., San Francisco

For more:

• Read a usher to Didion’s books, a postulation of her penning for The Times and an essay connected her generation-defining work.

• “California belongs to Joan Didion.” Read the Times professional Michiko Kakutani’s 1979 reappraisal of “The White Album.”

• How a Sacramento puerility shaped Didion’s instrumentality connected California, from The Los Angeles Times.

If you work 1 story, marque it this

Despite rising hospitalizations, Omicron is not much threatening for children.

The remainder of the news

• A taxation interruption for the ultrawealthy: A interruption aimed astatine tiny businesses has go a fashionable mode for Silicon Valley founders and investors to debar taxes connected their concern profits.

• Minimum wage increase: Starting Jan. 1, California’s hourly minimum wage volition summation to $15 for ample employers and $14 for smaller employers, The Sacramento Bee reports.

• Book review: What’s the champion publication of the past 125 years? We asked readers to decide.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

• L.A. shooting: A teen who had conscionable moved to Los Angeles from Chile was killed by a constabulary officer’s stray bullet. The civilian rights lawyer Ben Crump is taking her case.

• San Diego level crash: No survivors were recovered aft a tiny airplane crashed successful El Cajon connected Monday evening, City News Service reports.

• Free transit: Los Angeles Metro autobus and obstruction lines volition beryllium escaped connected New Year’s Eve betwixt 9 p.m. Dec. 31 until 2 a.m. Jan. 1, LAist reports.

• Political argument: A Corona antheral received a maximum condemnation for fatally shooting a pistillate during an statement implicit the 2016 statesmanlike election, The Associated Press reports.

• Synagogue shooting: A 22-year-old achromatic supremacist who changeable 4 radical — 1 fatally — astatine a synagogue received a 2nd beingness sentence, The Associated Press reports.

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

• L.G.B.T.Q. backlash: Two teachers from the Salinas Valley who were secretly recorded discussing L.G.B.T.Q. pupil outreach are present connected administrative leave, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

• Carbon farming: A $1 cardinal authorities assistance has been awarded to Marin County to chopped down greenhouse state emissions, The Marin Independent Journal reports.

• Elizabeth Holmes trial: Jurors ended a 5th time of deliberations connected Tuesday without a verdict.

• John Madden: The sports broadcaster and Hall of Fame shot manager died astatine property 85. A lifelong Californian, Madden retired from coaching the Oakland Raiders successful 1979.

Where we’re traveling

Today’s question extremity comes from Renee Vlitos Rowe, who recommends Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park successful Orange County:

“Its wide unfastened spaces means that you tin person a leisurely hike alongside bikers (no e-bikes allowed), tiny birds, hawks and, depending connected the clip of day, deer. I person yet to brushwood a upland lion, though I fishy they’re ne'er acold away.”

Tell america astir your favourite places to sojourn successful California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We’ll beryllium sharing much successful upcoming editions of the newsletter.

What we’re recommending

The twelvemonth successful fitness: shorter workouts, greater clarity, longer lives.

Tell us

How are you marking the commencement of 2022? Are you making immoderate New Year’s resolutions?

Share with america astatine CAtoday@nytimes.com.

And earlier you go, immoderate bully news

A paddle boarder adjacent Laguna Beach had an awe-inspiring acquisition this period erstwhile a monolithic food swam up to him a fewer 100 yards from the shore.

A nine-foot sunfish, besides known arsenic a mola mola, hung retired with the man, Rich German, and his person for astir fractional an hr earlier it disappeared into the sea, KCAL9 reports.

“It looks similar a mutilated alien shark that got spot successful half,” German told KCAL9. “He conscionable benignant of laic there. It’s a bizarre animal; they’re conscionable wholly docile.”

See German’s photos of the huge, odd-looking fish.

Thanks for reading. My colleagues volition beryllium filling successful for maine until Jan. 10. Enjoy their fantabulous work, and blessed New Year. — Soumya