the white album  <p>first published in 1979, <i>the white album</i> records indelibly the upheavals and aftermaths of the 1960s. examining key events, figures, and trends of the era - including charles manson, the black panthers, and the shopping mall - through the lens of her own spiritual confusion, joan didion helped to define mass culture as we now understand it. written with a commanding sureness of tone and linguistic precision, <i>the white album</i> is a central example of american reportage and a classic of american autobiography.</p>