Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is a respected author and professor of English literature. However, both of his careers are falling apart. Monk faces academic censure after a classroom kerfuffle over language and his next book is failing to attract a publisher because it is not “Black enough” even though Monk, himself, is Black. Frustrated with his career and dealing with a family crisis that he cannot afford, Monk writes a pseudonymous novel rife with every stereotype of Black life that he can imagine. To his surprise, the novel becomes a hit, launching Monk into the vortex of publishing establishment and Hollywood. Adapted from Percival Everett’s novel Erasure, American Fiction is a smart satire about the commodification of Black art and the need for cultural authenticity.