Comments on: James Ellroy: Brilliant Author. Snappy Talker. Unchallenged Racist?

By: sc

sc — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:34:49 +0000

After 7 or eight books including the masterpiece, LA quartet
one of the clear impressions I got was the author of the book was extremely racist. He really hated black people. It just pours out of his writing. Nevertheless the writer is so talented the books are still well worth experiencing. To me denying his racism would be like denying the violence, its just there. To me, its important to warn other black people before reading these books because it literally like getting a sucker punch at times reading this kind of work.

By: Angelika

Angelika — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 20:47:16 +0000

Lol racist or not, this guy seems like a huge pervert, he is probably still stealing panties and peeping through windows...

By: Tall Texan

Tall Texan — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 03:18:25 +0000

I am sort of glad I found this site. I recently began reading some of Mr. Ellroy's work and I couldn't help but thinking he was taking the racist names and references a bit far. I honestly tried to consider the racial slurs as a part of characters behavior but it become to hard. Especially after I started on the second book.

And for the record.. I have always thought that there was something questionable about Stephen King.

By: CDK

CDK — Wed, 05 May 2010 23:09:28 +0000

Um, isn't it self-contradictory to condemn Ellroy's racism with the term "sickening white trash cracker asshole"?

By: reality99

reality99 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:47:34 +0000

actually ellroy IS a flaming kook-racist. a good friend of mine dated him not too long ago (she met him while he did a guided tour of crime scenes in LOS ANGELES). she lived in paris and he came to visit her. everything was going great until, while taking a romantic stroll through the city, he asked her nonchalantly if she had ever been with a BLACK guy. she admitted that she had and he had what can best be described as a tantrum. he freaked OUT. the rest of his trip was a wash. he returned to the states and sent her faxes (written in long hand - he refused to use email at the time). he had her agree to a set of RIDICULOUS demands (one of them: i swear this is true - she was to NO LONGER WATCH BASKETBALL GAMES ON TV). they eventually split because he couldn't deal with it. KOO KOO.....

if that isn't enough proof, how about the fact that Ellroy sent Nazi pamphlets to girls he liked and criticized JFK, while advocating the reinstatement of slavery. he was eventually expelled for preaching Nazism in his English class.

By: Arts Roundup: Indie Bookstores Need Better Rocking Chairs - Arts Desk - Washington City Paper

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:22:43 +0000

[...] A while back, I asked if novelist James Ellroy was a racist. The question didn’t go over well (see: comments). I will officially cease with the [...]

By: Loonesta

Loonesta — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:33:43 +0000

Ellroy's consistent and constant racial slurs are getting a bit too obsessive and questionable as to neutrality on the part of the author. These slurs are so pervasive, creative, and varied that I cannot help but get the impression he personally enjoys this language. Is Ellroy really some sickening white trash cracker asshole? This racism has stunk up most of his writing since the mid 1980's and grows as tiresome as Ellroy's unrestrained alliterative tendencies. Both are gimmicks, and they've become the albatross-Pet Rock and Mood Ring of Ellroyian style.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:15:10 +0000

I think it deserves to be noted that George W. Bush was not infrequently compared in appearance to apes, especially the chimpanzee.

By: D.T. Shindler

D.T. Shindler — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:11:59 +0000

Damn! Typo above: make that, TIM (not Tom) (And the Fox News "school" of journalism is all about sensationalism -- and fear. In case anyone was wondering). -DTS

By: D.T. Shindler

D.T. Shindler — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:10:37 +0000

TOM: Read the posts above yours: you'll see that I point out that Mike Riggs based his whole "article" on the video herein. A video in which _another_ guy makes the statement that might seem racial. That, in my opinion, is simply _bad_ journalism. And therefore his headline is not a valid question -- unless one believes in the Fox news school of journalism.
-DTS