BookPage Reviews
Book Clubs: Four thoughtful takes on #MeTooÂ
More than two years after the #MeToo movement took off, writers have shaped the resulting conversation about sexual harassment and abuse into meaningful fiction and nonfiction that are sure to spark further discussion.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey deliver a watershed work of investigative journalism with She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement. The authors, who broke the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault story for the New York Times, have crafted an eye-opening look at how #MeToo took off, sharing details about how they located sources and persuaded them to talk about Weinstein.
In Chandler Baker's novel, Whisper Network, Rosalita, Ardie, Grace and Sloane work under Ames, who is set to become CEO of Truviv, Inc. Ames has a reputation for making advances toward women, and his latest in-office transgression leaves the four co-workers determined to take action. Writing with humor and poise about a sensitive subject, Baker introduces complicated topics that will spark plenty of conversation and spins a suspenseful plot full of surprises that book clubs will enjoy unraveling.
Susan Choi's novel Trust Exercise, which won the National Book Award in 2019, explores #MeToo concerns from the perspective of a group of students at a performing arts school who are manipulated by their elders, particularly their formidable drama teacher, Mr. Kingsley. The novel is at once a beautifully executed coming-of-age story and an unflinching account of lost innocence and idealism. It's sure to prompt deep discussions of gender and age dynamics, especially the power plays that occur between teens and those whom they idolize.
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators (Back Bay, $18.99, 9780316486644) by Ronan Farrow is an electrifying account of the fall of convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein and the difficulties Farrow faced in bringing the media mogul's story to light. Farrow also looks at abuses of power by Donald Trump, Matt Lauer and other high-profile figures as he creates—and sustains—a mood of suspense throughout the narrative. From ethics questions related to journalism to issues of gender discrimination, the book offers numerous subjects for conversation.
Copyright 2020 BookPage Reviews.BookPage Reviews
The Hold List: Best of the bestsellers
At BookPage HQ, we look at books months before they're published. So it's always a delight when something we adored finally hits shelves, and everyone else falls just as head-over-heels in love with it as we did. Here are five recent blockbusters whose climbs up the charts made us cheer.
I have long lamented the waning of the gothic novel. We as a society need more women running around crumbling hallways in giant ballgowns, gripping candelabras as they uncover hideous family secrets. Even if Silvia Moreno-Garcia's novel doesn't kick-start a whole new wave of romantically moody thrillers (though it certainly should), I'm delighted that its success catapulted its very deserving author onto the bestseller lists. Putting a unique and elegant stamp on a genre is Moreno-Garcia's signature move. She's written what she called a "fantasy of manners" with The Beautiful Ones and a Jazz Age coming-of-age novel that incorporated Mayan mythology in Gods of Jade and Shadow. So of course her gothic heroine isn't a timid wallflower. Noemí Taboada is a headstrong and glamorous socialite whose foibles and inner demons make her as interesting as she is heroic. And the ending? Let's just say it would blow Daphne du Maurier's hair back.
—Savanna, Associate Editor
Just as I Am
Perspective is a tricky thing to hold onto—the present moment with all its immediate concerns sure makes a lot of noise—but a thoughtful memoir of a long and well-lived life can help you find your center. Cicely Tyson's autobiography came out earlier this year, two days before the author's death, and quickly hit bestseller lists. It's more than a recounting of Tyson's life as a groundbreaking actor, producer and activist; it's also an examination of how a person can use their gifts to make a difference and the mindset required to act on that goal. Co-written with Michelle Burford, a founding editor of O, The Oprah Magazine, the memoir is structured chronologically from Tyson's childhood to later years, revealing how her rise as an actor led to a singular purpose: to use her art "as a force for good, as a place from which to display the full spectrum of our humanity." Because, as she writes, art must "mirror the times and propel them forward."
—Cat, Deputy Editor
Catch and Kill
The world has had more than its fair share of breaking news this past year, so it feels somewhat nostalgic to revisit newsworthy reporting from the bygone era of 2019. Ronan Farrow's explosively investigated book Catch and Kill delivers on every one of its subtitle's promises: "lies, spies and a conspiracy to protect predators." As journalist Farrow began looking into decades of allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein, ranging from verbal harassment to sexual abuse, his life began to get tricky. His employer, NBC, got more and more antsy about the story. He received a rash of threatening anonymous messages on Instagram. And through it all, he had the distinct feeling that he was being followed. This book's pacing is breathless, the twists increasingly twisty. At times it reads like a spy thriller, except better—because by the end of this electric story, real women who have suffered in silence for years are finally heard, believed and vindicated.
—Christy, Associate Editor
Once in a blue moon, a YA book earns universal critical acclaim and achieves great commercial success. The Poet X, Elizabeth Acevedo's debut novel in verse, was one such book. It won just about every award that exists to honor YA literature, including the National Book Award and the Michael L. Printz Award, and spent more than 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. You'll understand why as soon as you begin reading it. The story of Xiomara, a Dominican American teen who discovers the light of poetry burning within her and reckons with the forces in her life that would see it extinguished, will set your heart on fire. I especially recommend the audiobook for your first read, since Acevedo's narration draws out the meter and musicality of her accessible, conversational verses. I'm usually wary of sweeping statements, but in this case, one is merited: The Poet X is a perfect book that everyone should read.
—Stephanie, Associate Editor
Beach Read
I picked up Emily Henry's Beach Read last spring, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. With no travel plans on the horizon, a vicarious getaway to the shores of Lake Michigan was appealing, and during what were repeatedly referred to as "uncertain times," the anticipated beats of a rom-com sounded especially soothing. Why not read about two authors trying out each other's genres to beat writer's block, and reluctantly falling in love? Beach Read hit these marks and then surpassed them to become one of my favorite types of reading experiences: a diversion with depth. The screwball vibe and snappy dialogue I had been looking for are there on the page. But as Augustus and January slowly open up to one another, the lighter threads of the story are woven into an honest exploration of grief, trust and the healing power of art. It's a connection-affirming, generous novel that deserves its status as a word-of-mouth bestseller.
—Trisha, Publisher
Copyright 2021 BookPage Reviews.Kirkus Reviews
The award-winning journalist sharply illuminates how he exposed Harvey Weinstein as a serial sexual predator. Along the way, Farrow (War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence, 2018)—a New Yorker contributing writer who has won the Pulitzer Prize, National Magazine Award, and George Polk Award—offers a primer on investigative journalism, a profession that he is well on the way to mastering. For this book, he writes, he drew "on interviews with more than two hundred sources, as well as hundreds of pages of contracts, emails, and texts, and dozens of hours of audio." As the son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, the author has wrestled for years with allegations of sexual assault in his own family, leveled by his sister Dylan against their father. During his investigation of Weinstein—and later, multiple high-level sexual predators within NBC—Farrow had to fend off complaints that he was too close to the story. Along the investigative path, the author sought insight from his sister and relied on the steadfast support of his partner. Tho ugh Farrow and his producer believed their pursuit of Weinstein had the blessing of the top brass at NBC, they gradually learned that Weinstein was using his massive influence to sabotage the investigation. Consequently, the author took his work to the New Yorker, where editor David Remnick provided a venue for him to present his story. Ultimately, Weinstein was arrested. In addition to chronicling his work on the Weinstein project, Farrow also discusses the transgressions of Donald Trump and Matt Lauer. At times, the book is difficult to read, mainly because Weinstein, Trump, Lauer, and other powerful men victimized so many women while those who knew about the assaults stayed quiet. Nonetheless, this is an urgent, significant book that pairs well with She Said by New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. Both books are top-notch accounts filled with timeless insights about investigative journalism, on a par with classics from Seymour Hersh and Bob Woodward. A meticulously documented, essential work. Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
LJ Express Reviews
The term
Publishers Weekly Reviews
A groundbreaking #MeToo journalist finds his own news organization to be the greatest obstacle to the truth in this vivid, labyrinthine memoir. New Yorker scribe and ex-NBC News correspondent Farrow (War on Peace) revisits his 2017 reporting on sexual assault and harassment allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein by actresses and employees, an investigation begun but then killed by NBC and eventually published in the New Yorker. Farrow then probes sexual misconduct complaints at NBC itself, including an explosive new claim that Today host Matt Lauer raped NBC news staffer Brooke Nevils. He describes coaxing frightened women to break nondisclosure agreements and go public with their traumas, as well as more sinister currents of intrigue and betrayal. He unearths Weinstein's use of secret agents from the Israeli firm Black Cube to spy on sources—and on Farrow himself. Worse, he contends, NBC executives, some with personal and business ties to Weinstein and pressured by his lobbying and legal threats, started unaccountably turning against Farrow's story as the evidence supporting it mounted. Though a bit baggy, the narrative combines the intricate reporting of All the President's Men with Kafkaesque atmosphere to reveal troubling collusion between the media and the powerful interests they cover. This is a crackerjack journalistic thriller. (Oct.)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.