“Yes, the United States is still the great meritocracy it's always been; but now, if you aren't brilliant or beautiful or both, there isn't much to do, because they can do it cheaper in Shanghai or Mumbai.”

American writer, journalist, and lawyer

Elizabeth Lee Wurtzel was an American writer, journalist, and lawyer. She is best known for Prozac Nation, her confessional memoir published when she was 27, and for being seen as a voice of Generation X. Her writing often examined her own experiences with depression, addiction, work, and relationships. In the 1990s, her books helped fuel the rise of confessional writing and the personal memoir. Later in life, she briefly worked as an attorney before she died of breast cancer.