Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

While this may be Bret Easton Ellis’ first book of non-fiction it retains a strong narrative. Ellis believes that baby-boomers, absent on their own personal quests for self-fulfillment, failed to raise a generation. Millennials are psychologically still children who cannot tolerate the natural warp and woof of life. They react to differences of opinion with shunning because ideological difference demands too much maturity. They put ideology before art. They cannot adjust to the fact that Donald Trump is the legitimate president. None of this is new or particularly original. It’s simply an unexpected perspective from a gay American who lives in the Hollywood milieu. And so Ellis has now become something of a controversialist for asserting these opinions. As a millennial who has lost friendships simply for continuing to register as Republican, I sympathize with Ellis but I can’t share his indictment of millennials. He identifies real problems in generational culture but he doesn’t allow for a real representation of the millennial perspective. In short he argues against the proverbial straw man. What millennials and the left reject in Trump is not so much his politics as his character. His disdain for the truth, his embrace of dictators, his contempt of a free press, the dalliances with misogyny and white nationalism—all of these are simply unacceptable in someone who is supposed to represent all Americans. Disagree with this characterization if you will, but don’t deign to put all millennials on the couch and pronounce their disgust the lack of an ability to deal with reality. Although well-written and prescient in parts, this book ultimately fails by simply repeating generalizations and not bothering to listen to what his opposition is saying seriously. Those who believe the left has lost its mind will wallow in chapters confirming their perspective. Those on the left will feel outrage. And those wanting genuine dialogue will feel disappointed. At least this reader was. Not recommended.