American Tabloid by James Ellroy

Strap on your tinfoil hat and buckle up.

Ellroy weaves fiction into history so seamlessly, this book can read like non-fiction sometimes. You would never know his characters were not truly part of this history. The research is incredible and the story telling is immaculate.

With the current U.S. climate, this book made me uncomfortable. I put on my tinfoil hat and dove deep into all the possible conspiracies surrounding us. Not for nothing, but in the last two years, we have discovered many to be true.

This was a hard read. I’ve felt much despair already, and this book did not allow me to escape from reality. It gave me more anxiety about what truly goes on behind the scenes, and ruminate about who is truly in charge of this “great nation” of ours.

Three men manipulated the powers that be and worked the system changing the course of history. They sold drugs, worked with criminals, created international disturbances, and murdered those who got in their way, all under the guise of government workers. Who can blame them. They knew our government wasn’t going to provide for them. With all three characters, you see them betrayed by the system. Ward Little, is nearly destroyed with weeks to retirement eligibility, with zero concern. He has to claw his way back from the brink using his intelligence and perseverance. Originally he was a character I did not care much about, but he grows on you. This book exemplifies how the U.S. government will chew you up and spit you out regardless of service. Present day, in real life, there is a video of republicans fist bumping after shooting down a bill proposed for Veteran’s care. Although fiction, this book brings to the forefront many true aspects of our government.

Another wild point about this novel was the language. Everyone was detailed as a racial slur, and many groups were treated terribly. From what I’ve been told this is accurate and the fact that we acted this way is despicable. It’s sad to say we have come a long way because we are still so far behind where we should be as a society.

Although historical fiction, this book is a must read to gain some perspective, and grow as a nation. This book is not going to appeal to everyone. It took me months to get through. It is dense, and a slow burn. At times, I didn’t want to pick it up, but once I finished it, I felt its full impact. American Tabloid is truly masterfully written, but if you don’t have context of the history, you will not appreciate it to the fullest. I absolutely recommend this book to history buffs, and those willing to do some research, but for the average fiction reader, this book will not hit the mark.

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