First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
The Interstate Highway carries Joan Didion to Meridian. An encounter with a local businessman, whose optimism for the south is matched only by his racism, increases her unease. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
California Notes: Now in the west, Joan Didion is asked to write about Patty Hearst but diverts to musing on her own sense of belonging in Hearst country. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
New Orleans' oppressive atmosphere stirs memories of childhood visits and an ex-lover - and stark comparisons between the south and Joan Didion's home in California. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
Joan Didion crosses the border into Mississippi, visiting a reptile house and a broadcasting convention. It is a world stuck in the 1950s, seemingly oblivious to contemporary life. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
Joan Didion moves into Alabama where chance encounters increase her sense of divide with the women of the south, whose seeming only goals are to marry and have their hair done.
