In Defense of Elitism

Why I'm Better Than You and You are Better Than Someone Who Didn't Buy This Book

By: Joel Stein

Narrated by: Joel Stein

From Thurber finalist and former star Time columnist Joel Stein comes a "brilliant exploration" (Walter Isaacson) of America's political culture war and a hilarious call to arms for the elite.

"I can think of no one more suited to defend elitism than Stein, a funny man with hands as delicate as a baby full of soft-boiled eggs." —Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The night Donald Trump won the presidency, our author Joel Stein, Thurber Prize finalist and former staff writer for Time Magazine, instantly knew why. The main reason wasn't economic anxiety or racism. It was that he was anti-elitist. Hillary Clinton represented Wall Street, academics, policy papers, Davos, international treaties and the people who think they're better than you. People like Joel Stein. Trump represented something far more appealing, which was beating up people like Joel Stein.

In a full-throated defense of academia, the mainstream press, medium-rare steak, and civility, Joel Stein fights against populism. He fears a new tribal elite is coming to replace him, one that will fend off expertise of all kinds and send the country hurtling backward to a time of wars, economic stagnation and the well-done steaks doused with ketchup that Trump eats.

To find out how this shift happened and what can be done, Stein spends a week in Roberts County, Texas, which had the highest percentage of Trump voters in the country. He goes to the home of Trump-loving Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams; meets people who create fake news; and finds the new elitist organizations merging both right and left to fight the populists. All the while using the biggest words he knows.

Critic reviews

"With this indispensable book, Joel Stein firmly establishes himself as the Ted Nugent of elitism."—--Andy Borowitz, New York Times bestselling author and writer of The Borowitz Report

"Every paragraph of this book will make you laugh, but it will also (I promise) change the way you think. Joel has written a brilliant exploration of the supposed divide between elites and populists, cleverly disguised as a humorous personal excursion. Like Don Quixote he forays into perilous territory, his lance at his side, and what he finds will surprise you. Deeply reported and poignant, with a light touch of sweet self-awareness, his journey can help us all take our minds to a better place."—--Walter Isaacson, the New York Times bestselling author of Leonardo Da Vinci and Steve Jobs

"I can think of no one more suited to defend elitism than Stein, a funny man with hands as delicate as a baby full of soft-boiled eggs."—--Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

"[Stein] investigates the contemporary political landscape with a gimlet eye and plenty of humor in this deep dive into our cultural divide."—Town and Country

"In this hilarious refereeing of the culture wars, former Time columnist Stein roams America studying wealthy, Ivy league-educated, conference-attending elites and their populist detractors...Stein's excellent reportage keeps the ideology light and is full of one-liners...that generously skew everyone. The result is an insightful, uproarious take on America's political divide."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"With his smart, self-deprecating humor, former Time columnist Stein investigates the correlation between the rise of populism and the delegitimization of expertise... In a world that seems so fragile, Stein makes a witty case for trained and trustworthy people running it."—The National BookReview

"Joel Stein is a condescending bastard, but he's also very funny, insightful and correct. This book is a crucial argument for the importance of expertise in this world that increasingly rejects it. As Stein points out, it may feel good to go with the gut or follow popular opinion, but it does have its downsides. Like, for instance, causing a planetary apocalypse."—--AJ Jacobs, the New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically and The Know-It-All

"In these troubled times, we, as a nation, desperately need somebody to bring us together. Instead, we have Joel Stein, and this brilliantly funny book. So let's let somebody else unite us, while we let Joel Stein entertain the hell out of us."—--Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and bestselling author of Dave Barry Turns 40

An entertaining and informative listen

Joel paints a narrative of American political communities and how they don't get along.

Laughed, snorted and cracked up out loud

As a person who straddles the elite and the populist paradigm, or maybe as someone who belongs in neither, I adored this book! My parents both came from farms in western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle, they somehow reared me as an elite and a populist (I’m vegan and drive the smug of smuggiest cars yet went to a state college, married my hs sweetheart and probably cannot accurately spell the word potato).
I absolutely recommend this! And so did my husband (who went to a “college in New Jersey” and law school in Northern California, “where the mascot is a tree”, although we no longer live in California (but two of our children do) i felt like Joel wrote this book for me..... albeit to illuminate my shortcomings, hypocrisy, and my elitism.
I admit I have never laughed so hard reading a book. Although, mostly I was laughing at myself. This book is self deprecating and brutally honest and in some way could be thought of as an olive branch to the groups of people we tend to alienate, willingly and unwillingly.
I learned something new for ex: about boat elitists and that I have a new crush, his name is Joel Stein.
Bravo! I’m off to read more books by you. I confess, the only non-fiction authors I’ve read were John Meecham, Trevor Noah and Malcolm Gladwell.
Oooh .....does that sound smug?

loved it!

This audio book is very informative and funny, a very interesting read (actually hear).

Brilliant Assessment, with Laugh-Out-Loud Humor

I was captivated by this book. Stein is a masterful storyteller, leading the reader along a journey of discovery into the face and root cause of populism in the US and how we ‘intellectual elites’ have fueled a culture war by scolding and looking down on those who don’t share our views. Stein casts himself as protagonist in self effacing humor and makes the earnest case for more listening, less judging and more restraint. I loved listening to his narration - I couldn’t put it down!

Super funny!

Joel thinks The Death of Expertise is better. I disagree. Joel's book is really funny and doesn't default to today's standard gaslighting of young people. I'll give this as a gift over the holidays.