: Didion uses this book to reassess her own earlier misunderstandings and "confusions" about the place where she grew up. Key Case Studies :

"This extreme reliance of California on federal money... was a pattern set early on."

"Remember, never take no cutoffs and hurry along as fast as you can." "There is no real way to deal with everything we lose."

: She even uses items like a potato masher as symbols of her family’s pioneer narrative. Notable Quotes from the Book