Bret Easton Ellis's 'White': A Glamorous and Uncomfortable Social Critique

Bret Easton Ellis's latest book, originally to be titled 'White, Rich, and Privileged,' was shortened to 'White' by his publishers Alfred A. Knopf and Einaudi. The work is a hybrid of novel, autobiography, and social essay, in which Ellis, known for 'Less Than Zero' and 'American Psycho,' attacks political correctness and what he calls the 'Generation Inept' Millennials. He recounts encounters with Tom Cruise, Quentin Tarantino, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kanye West, and David Foster Wallace. Ellis defends his own controversial views while criticizing the liberal elite's reaction to Trump's election. The book profiles Frank Sinatra as an unrepeatable model of white privilege and Charlie Sheen as a post-9/11 antihero. It ends with admiration for Kanye West, whom Ellis describes as an insolent, lonely, contradictory rebel who dares to express nonconformist opinions. Published by Einaudi in 2019, the 280-page book is priced at €19.