The Counsel of Trent #1132 FFAF: The Bonfire of the Vanities
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Feb 20, 2026 A lively rundown of Tom Wolfe's 1980s New York satire and its tangled mix of race, class, politics, and greed. A close look at Sherman McCoy's fall from privilege and the media and legal forces that amplify it. A critique of the 1990 film adaptation, from miscasting choices to softened corruption and lost nuance. A call to read the novel first to catch the book’s sharper social sting.
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Quintessential 1980s New York Portrait
- Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities captures the greed, corruption, and fake glamour of 1980s New York in a way that defines the era.
- Trent Horn calls it the quintessential 1980s New York book that reveals a grimy, vapid social world.
The Bronx Incident That Unravels Lives
- Sherman McCoy, a Wall Street bond trader, gets lost in the Bronx and an encounter leaves a teen injured and in a coma.
- Trent Horn recounts how that incident ignites race-driven outrage and corrupt maneuvers that unravel McCoy's life.
All Players Are Deeply Corrupt
- The novel shows how multiple corrupt actors exploit the incident: a race-baiting reverend, an opportunistic journalist, and a DA willing to bend rules.
- Trent Horn highlights that none of the main players are truly sympathetic, which deepens the book's cynicism.
