by Maureen Ryan
First published 2023
Hollywood's abuse problem runs deeper than individual bad actors. Veteran reporter Maureen Ryan argues that exploitation gets built into the entertainment industry's basic structure. She connects workplace harassment scandals across major companies and shows including Lucasfilm, Saturday Night Live, The Goldbergs, Lost, Sleepy Hollow, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Ryan interviews actors and creators like Evan Rachel Wood, Harold Perrineau, Damon Lindelof, and Orlando Jones to reveal how abusers get created, protected, and rewarded. She breaks down the myths Hollywood tells about itself, from claims about meritocracy to beliefs about what creativity requires. Ryan combines insider accounts with historical analysis to show what went wrong in entertainment and how the industry can change.
Genres: abuse, social-issues, non-fiction, journalism, activism, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-analysis, insider-account
348 pages · Hardcover · Mariner Books
Content warnings: abuse, sexual-assault