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Biography
Benjamin Haile DeMott (June 2, 1924, Rockville Centre, New York – September 29, 2005) was an American writer, scholar, and cultural critic. The author of more than a dozen books, DeMott was best known for his cultural criticism in popular magazines and a trilogy, The Imperial Middle: Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Class (1990), The Trouble with Friendship: Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Race (1995), and Killer Woman Blues: Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Gender (2000).
One of DeMott's last pieces was a scalding dissection of the 9/11 Commission report that appeared in Harper's Magazine. His final piece, "Battling the Hard Man: Notes on Addiction to the Pornography of Violence", was published in Harper's in August 2007.
DeMott taught English at Amherst College for more than 40 years.