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She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Nonfiction (2019)For many years, reporters had tried to get to the truth about Harvey Weinstein’s treatment of women. Rumors of wrongdoing had long circulated. But in 2017, when Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey began their investigation into the prominent Hollywood producer for the New York Times, his name was still synonymous with power. During months of confidential interviews with top actresses, former Weinstein employees, and other sources, many disturbing and long-buried allegations were unearthed, and a web of onerous secret payouts and nondisclosure agreements was revealed. These shadowy settlements had long been used to hide sexual harassment and abuse, but with a breakthrough reporting technique Kantor and Twohey helped to expose it. But Weinstein had evaded scrutiny in the past, and he was not going down without a fight; he employed a team of high-profile lawyers, private investigators, and other allies to thwart the investigation. When Kantor and Twohey were finally able to convince some sources to go on the record, a dramatic final showdown between Weinstein and the New York Times was set in motion.
Nothing could have prepared Kantor and Twohey for what followed the publication of their initial Weinstein story on October 5, 2017. Within days, a veritable Pandora’s box of sexual harassment and abuse was opened. Women all over the world came forward with their own traumatic stories. Over the next twelve months, hundreds of men from every walk of life and industry were outed following allegations of wrongdoing. But did too much change—or not enough? Those questions hung in the air months later as Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court, and Christine Blasey Ford came forward to testify that he had assaulted her decades earlier. Kantor and Twohey, who had unique access to Ford and her team, bring to light the odyssey that led her to come forward, the overwhelming forces that came to bear on her, and what happened after she shared her allegation with the world.
In the tradition of great investigative journalism, She Said tells a thrilling story about the power of truth, with shocking new information from hidden sources. Kantor and Twohey describe not only the consequences of their reporting for the #MeToo movement, but the inspiring and affecting journeys of the women who spoke up—for the sake of other women, for future generations, and for themselves.
Nothing could have prepared Kantor and Twohey for what followed the publication of their initial Weinstein story on October 5, 2017. Within days, a veritable Pandora’s box of sexual harassment and abuse was opened. Women all over the world came forward with their own traumatic stories. Over the next twelve months, hundreds of men from every walk of life and industry were outed following allegations of wrongdoing. But did too much change—or not enough? Those questions hung in the air months later as Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court, and Christine Blasey Ford came forward to testify that he had assaulted her decades earlier. Kantor and Twohey, who had unique access to Ford and her team, bring to light the odyssey that led her to come forward, the overwhelming forces that came to bear on her, and what happened after she shared her allegation with the world.
In the tradition of great investigative journalism, She Said tells a thrilling story about the power of truth, with shocking new information from hidden sources. Kantor and Twohey describe not only the consequences of their reporting for the #MeToo movement, but the inspiring and affecting journeys of the women who spoke up—for the sake of other women, for future generations, and for themselves.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2019
About the author
Jodi Kantor
11 books282 followersJodi Kantor has covered the world of Barack and Michelle Obama since the beginning of 2007, also writing about Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Richard Holbrooke, Eric Holder and many others along the way.
Ms. Kantor graduated from Columbia and attended Harvard Law School. But soon after she arrived, she caught the journalism bug, took time off to work at Slate.com, and never looked back. She joined The New York Times in 2003 as Arts & Leisure editor, revamping the section and helping lead a makeover of the culture report.
The recipient of a Columbia Young Alumni Achievement Award, Ms. Kantor has also been named by Crain's New York Business magazine as one of "40 Under 40." She appears regularly on television, including The Today Show and Charlie Rose.
Though she is a Washington correspondent, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.
Ms. Kantor graduated from Columbia and attended Harvard Law School. But soon after she arrived, she caught the journalism bug, took time off to work at Slate.com, and never looked back. She joined The New York Times in 2003 as Arts & Leisure editor, revamping the section and helping lead a makeover of the culture report.
The recipient of a Columbia Young Alumni Achievement Award, Ms. Kantor has also been named by Crain's New York Business magazine as one of "40 Under 40." She appears regularly on television, including The Today Show and Charlie Rose.
Though she is a Washington correspondent, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,108 reviews
October 11, 2020
Downplaying very serious topics, ignoring the protests of half of the population, and educating girls to be silent, obedient, and submissive possibly isn´t what so called emancipated democracies should stand for in the 21st century.
Everyone forgets history and repeats it, any kind of social movements, anti slavery, women's rights, gay rights,… have been ridiculed with stupid, inhumane, conservative arguments, and it´s the same with race, gender, and all kinds of structural violence nowadays. It´s this toxic phantasmagoria of having reached the end of history, of living in an enlightened society, that leads people to think that the progressive critics and victims are just exaggerating the problem, that everyone is overreacting, that feminists are demonizing the poor male perpetrator, leading to the bizarre and mad situation that victims of harassment, abuse, rape, and physical violence have to explain themselves, get attacked and insulted after the trauma.
That women have to live with the fact that trying to find help and justice leads to more problems than letting the criminals get away to be able to stalk the next victim, that everyone from law to colleagues, family, and friends won´t logically stand behind them, but instead repeat the slut shaming, victim blaming, and a bit afterward hate crimeing to get the victims in line and silent again.
Sometimes, there seem to be even more concerns regarding the rights of the offenders if they are just harassing and are, still, no serial rapists, that their civil rights and privacy gets attacked, that they shouldn´t be stigmatized, that they should get a second chance. Not just downplaying the problem, but helping the dangerous predators afterward, that´s how society rolls.
Commercialization of everything, reifying of women for financial interests, plays in here too, but it´s nothing compared to the epigenetic factor of bro codes, fraternities, clubs, parties, organizations, anything promoting predatory male pack behavior. It´s everywhere, it´s accepted, it strangely doesn´t seem to change or really disturb anyone and whenever a woman complains, she is shouted down by the consensus of continuing the good, oldfashioned sexist way. That´s culture, tradition, at least each fourth up to each second woman having to deal with the danger of rape over her lifetime a small price to pay for cozy social gatherings, fun at the costs of others, and giving the torch of downplayed abuse to the next generation. Heck, these people behave like that in front of their kids, they condition them to mob, stalk, and intimidate their victims.
These are no minor crimes, the psychological consequences of trauma and abuse similar to PTSD, although the tradition of the legal systems deems anything higher than human lives and integrity, but it´s done as if it are trivialities, kind of boys are boys style for all males of all ages, leading to illogical and sick dogmas.
Dirty old man sexually harassing: Do you hate old people? He doesn´t mean it that way.
Group of young men making sexist comments. Don´t you like a compliment?
Etc.
Imagine a guy would be groomed and groped, that would of course be absolutely unacceptable, but hey, as long as it´s just a woman… Just google victim blaming and slut shaming and look at the pictures, that´s the culture we´ve built.
External shame, Fremdschämen in German, is meanwhile one of my dominant emotions regarding mostly anything in connection with manly masculinity, culture, and traditional society in general.
A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogniti...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirm...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberst...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepfake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesti...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancip...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employm...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminiz...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasligh...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_crime
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intra-h...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_m...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaga...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychol...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychol...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychol...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_cu...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slut-sh...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereot...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unpaid_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valuati...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victim_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violenc...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%2...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workpla...
Everyone forgets history and repeats it, any kind of social movements, anti slavery, women's rights, gay rights,… have been ridiculed with stupid, inhumane, conservative arguments, and it´s the same with race, gender, and all kinds of structural violence nowadays. It´s this toxic phantasmagoria of having reached the end of history, of living in an enlightened society, that leads people to think that the progressive critics and victims are just exaggerating the problem, that everyone is overreacting, that feminists are demonizing the poor male perpetrator, leading to the bizarre and mad situation that victims of harassment, abuse, rape, and physical violence have to explain themselves, get attacked and insulted after the trauma.
That women have to live with the fact that trying to find help and justice leads to more problems than letting the criminals get away to be able to stalk the next victim, that everyone from law to colleagues, family, and friends won´t logically stand behind them, but instead repeat the slut shaming, victim blaming, and a bit afterward hate crimeing to get the victims in line and silent again.
Sometimes, there seem to be even more concerns regarding the rights of the offenders if they are just harassing and are, still, no serial rapists, that their civil rights and privacy gets attacked, that they shouldn´t be stigmatized, that they should get a second chance. Not just downplaying the problem, but helping the dangerous predators afterward, that´s how society rolls.
Commercialization of everything, reifying of women for financial interests, plays in here too, but it´s nothing compared to the epigenetic factor of bro codes, fraternities, clubs, parties, organizations, anything promoting predatory male pack behavior. It´s everywhere, it´s accepted, it strangely doesn´t seem to change or really disturb anyone and whenever a woman complains, she is shouted down by the consensus of continuing the good, oldfashioned sexist way. That´s culture, tradition, at least each fourth up to each second woman having to deal with the danger of rape over her lifetime a small price to pay for cozy social gatherings, fun at the costs of others, and giving the torch of downplayed abuse to the next generation. Heck, these people behave like that in front of their kids, they condition them to mob, stalk, and intimidate their victims.
These are no minor crimes, the psychological consequences of trauma and abuse similar to PTSD, although the tradition of the legal systems deems anything higher than human lives and integrity, but it´s done as if it are trivialities, kind of boys are boys style for all males of all ages, leading to illogical and sick dogmas.
Dirty old man sexually harassing: Do you hate old people? He doesn´t mean it that way.
Group of young men making sexist comments. Don´t you like a compliment?
Etc.
Imagine a guy would be groomed and groped, that would of course be absolutely unacceptable, but hey, as long as it´s just a woman… Just google victim blaming and slut shaming and look at the pictures, that´s the culture we´ve built.
External shame, Fremdschämen in German, is meanwhile one of my dominant emotions regarding mostly anything in connection with manly masculinity, culture, and traditional society in general.
A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogniti...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirm...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberst...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepfake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesti...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancip...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employm...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminiz...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasligh...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_crime
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intra-h...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_m...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaga...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychol...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychol...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychol...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_cu...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slut-sh...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereot...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unpaid_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valuati...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victim_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violenc...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%2...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workpla...
September 17, 2019
I really am a fiction girl, but every once in a while a true story or biography will catch my attention. She Said, is written by the two women NYT reporters that helped to take Harvey Weinstein down and poured gasoline on the #Me Too movement. This is the inside story of all the witnesses, sexual assault survivors, and enablers of Weinstein. Since this was one of the biggest stories of the decade, I thought it was important enough to take the time to read.
I want to mention the big stars first. I knew before reading this that Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan were a couple of badasses, but truthfully Judd is way more impressive than I ever realized. Also, I have to give a little shout out to Brad Pitt. Not many people ever confronted Harvey about his behavior but Brad went right after him and told him to never touch his girlfriend again. His girlfriend at the time was Gwyneth Paltrow. There are other actresses that Harvey abused but these three are the main ones the book centers on.
I did hear a lot about the stars the Harvey assaulted and raped but I didn’t realize the extent of just normal every day employees that he terrorized. He assaulted women for close to 30 years. Heck it may even be longer, almost 30 years is just what they have information on.
While hearing accounts of all the sexual harassment, assault, and rape was not easy on my stomach, what bothered me even more were all the people that enabled him. The people that helped silence the women and cared more about the Weinstein Company or what Harvey could do for their career, than cared about the women being attacked. And I have to say a big Fuck You to Lisa Bloom, Judas to women everywhere.
When it came to reading the book I was hooked. The story draws you in and you don’t want to stop reading. I have a lot of respect for the two investigative journalists that worked on this piece for years before they went public. I can’t imagine taking that long to write one story, it’s pretty damn impressive.
I do have to admit I didn’t care for a few of the last chapters. After the Harvey story is over, the book switches to an abbreviated account of how the Ford/Kavanaugh complaint and hearing went. While I did find out some information I did not know previously, the whole thing felt depressing to read. It’s not like slaying the giant Harvey, we all know how the Ford and Kavanugh story ends and I just would rather not be reminded to be honest. This is why my overall rating is a 4 instead of 5 stars.
This was a good and often times gripping read. I personally thought this book was important for me to read and I feel like I have the whole story now. If you are interested in the fall of Weinstein, I don’t think you can find a better account than from the women who took him down.
I want to mention the big stars first. I knew before reading this that Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan were a couple of badasses, but truthfully Judd is way more impressive than I ever realized. Also, I have to give a little shout out to Brad Pitt. Not many people ever confronted Harvey about his behavior but Brad went right after him and told him to never touch his girlfriend again. His girlfriend at the time was Gwyneth Paltrow. There are other actresses that Harvey abused but these three are the main ones the book centers on.
I did hear a lot about the stars the Harvey assaulted and raped but I didn’t realize the extent of just normal every day employees that he terrorized. He assaulted women for close to 30 years. Heck it may even be longer, almost 30 years is just what they have information on.
While hearing accounts of all the sexual harassment, assault, and rape was not easy on my stomach, what bothered me even more were all the people that enabled him. The people that helped silence the women and cared more about the Weinstein Company or what Harvey could do for their career, than cared about the women being attacked. And I have to say a big Fuck You to Lisa Bloom, Judas to women everywhere.
When it came to reading the book I was hooked. The story draws you in and you don’t want to stop reading. I have a lot of respect for the two investigative journalists that worked on this piece for years before they went public. I can’t imagine taking that long to write one story, it’s pretty damn impressive.
I do have to admit I didn’t care for a few of the last chapters. After the Harvey story is over, the book switches to an abbreviated account of how the Ford/Kavanaugh complaint and hearing went. While I did find out some information I did not know previously, the whole thing felt depressing to read. It’s not like slaying the giant Harvey, we all know how the Ford and Kavanugh story ends and I just would rather not be reminded to be honest. This is why my overall rating is a 4 instead of 5 stars.
This was a good and often times gripping read. I personally thought this book was important for me to read and I feel like I have the whole story now. If you are interested in the fall of Weinstein, I don’t think you can find a better account than from the women who took him down.
November 4, 2019
This is a brave book - no doubt. This is a timely book aptly extended to the public. It certainly inspires the readers by letting them learn that how breaking the silence and pointing the finger at a pervert can be the best thing to do - when there is nothing else to be done. However, from a neutral perspective, the perspective of a reader, the book is written in a wayward manner that can pull the inappropriate strings of boredom at times. I think only the readers who can cope with an intellectual muscle-flexing with a certain agenda can read the book peacefully. Otherwise, average readers have nothing in the book!
September 21, 2019
I have slightly mixed feelings about “She Said,” not due to the subject matter or message, but just with the way the book is formatted. The Weinstein investigation section, which takes up the bulk of the book, is thrilling, an account of investigative journalism at its finest. Secret meetings with sources, computer systems meant to keep developing stories accessible to only a handful of writers and editors, the delicate phrasing needed to get a source to talk or to go on record, the difficult choice of when to publish the story - I love that stuff, and this book is full of it. I love reading about the disturbing and bizarre details that come out about Weinstein and the level of his corruption. And the tense moments of verbal sparring and legal threats as the Times prepares to publish - so gripping.
My issue is with the latter part of the book which centers on Christine Blasey Ford and the Kavanaugh accusation and hearing. A fascinating story in its own right, and I did sort of enjoy reading behind the scenes as Ford decided what to do and prepared to testify. But I didn’t understand it’s place in the book. Yes, it was a dramatic culmination of the #MeToo movement that would not have taken place without the women coming forward in the wake of the Weinstein news and the research and reporting on Weinstein and other offenders.
But where the first part of the book is a meticulously detailed account of how the Weinstein story came to be, the Ford section is much more about her personal deliberations on whether to come forward and what happened surrounding that. I didn’t see how the authors of “She Said” were involved in that story aside from being allowed to sit in on the preparations for Ford’s testimony. They were even given a tip about Ford, from her own lawyer, but Ford declined to contact them to discuss the story. In fact she mostly spoke to another reporter at a different publication.
I wanted to continue reading about journalism and the uncovering of these accounts of abuse by powerful men. Rather than exclusively focusing on the Ford story, I believe that the book would have been stronger if it followed a variety of the post-Weinstein revelations more closely instead of just briefly touching on them. Also, what happened to Weinstein himself and the company? The book does not really speak to that.
At the end the journalists describe a sort of retreat/mass interview of several of the women who were instrumental in the #MeToo movement. At this meeting, the women, including Ford shared how coming forward publicly changed their lives. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it cut to this meeting sooner after the Weinstein story broke (which is the dramatic climax of the book even though it happens relatively early in the book).
The Ford/Kavanaugh stuff is interesting and I am glad I read about it. It just felt like the authors were trying to jam two different stories together into one book and I didn’t quite get the reasoning behind that. To me it felt like a distraction from the Weinstein reporting, which I found much more interesting. It also downplayed the importance of the #MeToo movement - feeling like a huge anticlimax and letdown after the thrill of the Weinstein story breaking and the beginning of the movement.
Despite my complaint this really was an excellent book and well worth reading. The best part was reading about all of the female reporters, editors, lawyers, sources, and survivors (and secondarily, male allies). They were all so intelligent and clever, all operating in fields historically dominated by men, excelling and bringing light to something that our society has tried to stuff down for so long. In a time when I’ve never felt less proud to be an American, where I’m daily so discouraged by politics and current events, this book was actually a glimmer of hope and a reminder that while some things have gone downhill, other causes have found greater success than ever and give some hope to the future.
My issue is with the latter part of the book which centers on Christine Blasey Ford and the Kavanaugh accusation and hearing. A fascinating story in its own right, and I did sort of enjoy reading behind the scenes as Ford decided what to do and prepared to testify. But I didn’t understand it’s place in the book. Yes, it was a dramatic culmination of the #MeToo movement that would not have taken place without the women coming forward in the wake of the Weinstein news and the research and reporting on Weinstein and other offenders.
But where the first part of the book is a meticulously detailed account of how the Weinstein story came to be, the Ford section is much more about her personal deliberations on whether to come forward and what happened surrounding that. I didn’t see how the authors of “She Said” were involved in that story aside from being allowed to sit in on the preparations for Ford’s testimony. They were even given a tip about Ford, from her own lawyer, but Ford declined to contact them to discuss the story. In fact she mostly spoke to another reporter at a different publication.
I wanted to continue reading about journalism and the uncovering of these accounts of abuse by powerful men. Rather than exclusively focusing on the Ford story, I believe that the book would have been stronger if it followed a variety of the post-Weinstein revelations more closely instead of just briefly touching on them. Also, what happened to Weinstein himself and the company? The book does not really speak to that.
At the end the journalists describe a sort of retreat/mass interview of several of the women who were instrumental in the #MeToo movement. At this meeting, the women, including Ford shared how coming forward publicly changed their lives. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it cut to this meeting sooner after the Weinstein story broke (which is the dramatic climax of the book even though it happens relatively early in the book).
The Ford/Kavanaugh stuff is interesting and I am glad I read about it. It just felt like the authors were trying to jam two different stories together into one book and I didn’t quite get the reasoning behind that. To me it felt like a distraction from the Weinstein reporting, which I found much more interesting. It also downplayed the importance of the #MeToo movement - feeling like a huge anticlimax and letdown after the thrill of the Weinstein story breaking and the beginning of the movement.
Despite my complaint this really was an excellent book and well worth reading. The best part was reading about all of the female reporters, editors, lawyers, sources, and survivors (and secondarily, male allies). They were all so intelligent and clever, all operating in fields historically dominated by men, excelling and bringing light to something that our society has tried to stuff down for so long. In a time when I’ve never felt less proud to be an American, where I’m daily so discouraged by politics and current events, this book was actually a glimmer of hope and a reminder that while some things have gone downhill, other causes have found greater success than ever and give some hope to the future.
September 16, 2019
I will not presume to be in any way capable of reviewing this brilliant book because it’s an extremely well written true account of the investigation and brings to light some systemic truths that we probably are well aware of, but haven’t seen discussed openly a lot. Instead, I think I’ll just share how I felt while reading it.
I’ve only lived in the US for less than a decade now and while I have a seen a Hollywood movie or two since childhood, I’ve never been much knowledgeable about the industry or its major players. So, when the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke out, all the names associated with it didn’t mean anything to me. The significance for me was mostly about the movement it created and the outpouring of stories we got to hear after that. It reinforced the fact that sexual harassment is rampant in the world, regardless of the industry or field you are in and what age you are. It’s all about power, and those who have it will exercise it in whatever way they can without fear of consequences because they know that the whole system is behind them. And while this book goes into a lot of detail about the investigation and the many women Kantor and Twohey spoke to, it also shows us the blatant disregard shown by so many other people towards these women and how all the sexual predation was just treated as matter of fact.
My singular emotion while reading this book was anger. And helplessness. Maybe some hope too, but I won’t say it was a lot. The way that Weinstein used his power, bullying tactics and promises of helping their career to harass and assault and overpower so many young women is appalling to read about. I would never judge the women for not coming out and sharing their stories because it’s always them who had a lot to lose and they have their right to self-preservation. It’s the other people I find fault with - those around Weinstein who helped him cover up all the incidents by forcing the women with watertight settlements and NDAs, who thought his behavior was okay as long as it wasn’t a liability to the company, who decided that it must be the women coming onto him for a chance to go ahead in their careers, the high profile lawyers like David Boies, Gloria Allred and Lisa Bloom who feel completely justified in the way they defended Weinstein and shamed and blamed the women and the journalists covering the story. These are people even I have admired, watched documentaries about their work on marriage equality and women’s rights, and now to realize that powerful people always seem to support those in power - I just can’t describe the horror I’m feeling. If you’ve followed any of the twitter trends on the day of this book’s release, you must have seen the very enlightening (and loathsome) memo that Lisa Bloom wrote to Weinstein about how they can frame a narrative to victim blame and showcase him as an old man trying to understand the ever changing social mores. It really was an eye opener and I don’t think I will ever implicitly trust any “popular” activist again, especially lawyers.
The last section of the book also goes into some detail about the Kavanaugh hearings and Dr. Ford’s testimony, particularly how she felt in the weeks leading up to the day and how her life has irrevocably changed since then. It just makes me furious that nothing fundamental has really has changed since the years after Anita Hill and women have to still weigh their safety and career prospects vs the possibility of telling their story and maybe getting some vindication and justice. And I’m currently feeling even more hopeless because between the few hours when I finished this book and I’m writing this review, the New York Times published excerpts from another book with corroborating evidence for other allegations against Kavanaugh. And it’s really exhausting to see that while Dr. Ford has to deal with death threats, this man will be on the Supreme Court for most of our lifetime.
To conclude, I just wanna say thank you to all the women who came forward to tell their story, putting their livelihoods and privacy on the line, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey for their incessant desire to bring this story to light in its entirety while facing off the whole bully machine of Weinstein, and everyone else at NYT who made this possible. I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to know more about this brilliant piece of investigative journalism and support women in their fight for equality and right to work without being harassed.
I’ve only lived in the US for less than a decade now and while I have a seen a Hollywood movie or two since childhood, I’ve never been much knowledgeable about the industry or its major players. So, when the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke out, all the names associated with it didn’t mean anything to me. The significance for me was mostly about the movement it created and the outpouring of stories we got to hear after that. It reinforced the fact that sexual harassment is rampant in the world, regardless of the industry or field you are in and what age you are. It’s all about power, and those who have it will exercise it in whatever way they can without fear of consequences because they know that the whole system is behind them. And while this book goes into a lot of detail about the investigation and the many women Kantor and Twohey spoke to, it also shows us the blatant disregard shown by so many other people towards these women and how all the sexual predation was just treated as matter of fact.
My singular emotion while reading this book was anger. And helplessness. Maybe some hope too, but I won’t say it was a lot. The way that Weinstein used his power, bullying tactics and promises of helping their career to harass and assault and overpower so many young women is appalling to read about. I would never judge the women for not coming out and sharing their stories because it’s always them who had a lot to lose and they have their right to self-preservation. It’s the other people I find fault with - those around Weinstein who helped him cover up all the incidents by forcing the women with watertight settlements and NDAs, who thought his behavior was okay as long as it wasn’t a liability to the company, who decided that it must be the women coming onto him for a chance to go ahead in their careers, the high profile lawyers like David Boies, Gloria Allred and Lisa Bloom who feel completely justified in the way they defended Weinstein and shamed and blamed the women and the journalists covering the story. These are people even I have admired, watched documentaries about their work on marriage equality and women’s rights, and now to realize that powerful people always seem to support those in power - I just can’t describe the horror I’m feeling. If you’ve followed any of the twitter trends on the day of this book’s release, you must have seen the very enlightening (and loathsome) memo that Lisa Bloom wrote to Weinstein about how they can frame a narrative to victim blame and showcase him as an old man trying to understand the ever changing social mores. It really was an eye opener and I don’t think I will ever implicitly trust any “popular” activist again, especially lawyers.
The last section of the book also goes into some detail about the Kavanaugh hearings and Dr. Ford’s testimony, particularly how she felt in the weeks leading up to the day and how her life has irrevocably changed since then. It just makes me furious that nothing fundamental has really has changed since the years after Anita Hill and women have to still weigh their safety and career prospects vs the possibility of telling their story and maybe getting some vindication and justice. And I’m currently feeling even more hopeless because between the few hours when I finished this book and I’m writing this review, the New York Times published excerpts from another book with corroborating evidence for other allegations against Kavanaugh. And it’s really exhausting to see that while Dr. Ford has to deal with death threats, this man will be on the Supreme Court for most of our lifetime.
To conclude, I just wanna say thank you to all the women who came forward to tell their story, putting their livelihoods and privacy on the line, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey for their incessant desire to bring this story to light in its entirety while facing off the whole bully machine of Weinstein, and everyone else at NYT who made this possible. I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to know more about this brilliant piece of investigative journalism and support women in their fight for equality and right to work without being harassed.
March 22, 2021
This book retells the complicated journey Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, reporters for the New York Times, took as they attempted to get the story about Harvey Weinstein's abuses of actresses and female employees, both verbal and sexual, many of which dated back decades. It also deals with the ensuing #MeToo movement, and the impact of it on Christine Blasey Ford's testimony against Brett Kavanaugh, as he was being considered for the Supreme Court.
I think books like this offer really important insights, but I know the subject matter can be polarizing, so let me start by saying this isn't a “men are the enemy” review. Any scenario that has a power differential can lead to abuse, and this book just happens to be focused primarily on one powerful man who took advantage of his position of power. The revelations of abuse and how long it went on unchecked are horrible. What was almost more distressing, though, was the complicity of the legal system and government in creating and reinforcing a "hush money" system that compelled these victims, and continues to compel others, both male and female, into silence and dangles severe consequences over their heads to maintain it. They often can't even talk to their own spouses, families, friends, therapists or lawyers, and most certainly can't speak publicly to warn others of the abusers' potential to victimize them. In essence, it's a system that makes the victims look like gold-diggers while reinforcing repeated predation without consequence to the offenders.
I thought that the strength of the book was in the coverage of the Weinstein scandal, but it seemed to lose a bit of steam in the retelling of Christine Blasey Ford's decades-old sexual assault experience leading up to her testimony before the Senate committee determining Brett Kavanaugh's selection to the Supreme Court. I actually felt bad for her, as she seemed to be portrayed as a woman who lost control of her own narrative and experience to those who had possibly well-meaning, but ultimately over-eager and potentially damaging, interests in putting her story in front of the American public. While I admired her independent spirit and her attempts to regain control of her own story, I ultimately wondered if what she went through in the public eye just damaged her further.
All said, it's a fantastic read, especially if you have interest in women's issues - though I will say that the issues discussed would apply equally to male victims of physical or verbal harassment as well, as I’m positive their stories are vastly underrepresented in the media.
★★★★
I think books like this offer really important insights, but I know the subject matter can be polarizing, so let me start by saying this isn't a “men are the enemy” review. Any scenario that has a power differential can lead to abuse, and this book just happens to be focused primarily on one powerful man who took advantage of his position of power. The revelations of abuse and how long it went on unchecked are horrible. What was almost more distressing, though, was the complicity of the legal system and government in creating and reinforcing a "hush money" system that compelled these victims, and continues to compel others, both male and female, into silence and dangles severe consequences over their heads to maintain it. They often can't even talk to their own spouses, families, friends, therapists or lawyers, and most certainly can't speak publicly to warn others of the abusers' potential to victimize them. In essence, it's a system that makes the victims look like gold-diggers while reinforcing repeated predation without consequence to the offenders.
I thought that the strength of the book was in the coverage of the Weinstein scandal, but it seemed to lose a bit of steam in the retelling of Christine Blasey Ford's decades-old sexual assault experience leading up to her testimony before the Senate committee determining Brett Kavanaugh's selection to the Supreme Court. I actually felt bad for her, as she seemed to be portrayed as a woman who lost control of her own narrative and experience to those who had possibly well-meaning, but ultimately over-eager and potentially damaging, interests in putting her story in front of the American public. While I admired her independent spirit and her attempts to regain control of her own story, I ultimately wondered if what she went through in the public eye just damaged her further.
All said, it's a fantastic read, especially if you have interest in women's issues - though I will say that the issues discussed would apply equally to male victims of physical or verbal harassment as well, as I’m positive their stories are vastly underrepresented in the media.
★★★★
November 15, 2019
I thought I understood how high the risks were for women to stand up publicly against their powerful abusers. But I didn't, really.
A must read for every person who responded to an accusation by a woman with a question "But why didn't she go to the police right away?"
A must read for every person who responded to an accusation by a woman with a question "But why didn't she go to the police right away?"
March 23, 2021
A powerful book indeed! I only heard about it recently (I missed lots of 2019 releases) and I knew I had to read it.
It was eye-opening. Like everyone, I have heard of the Me Too movement and read about what was happening but to read all of this about a single famous person, is also different. How men in the Hollywood industry abused their power and got away with it. For decades. Especially someone like Harvey Weinstein. It was interesting to read about what was going on behind the scenes. It's also empowering because women who suffered from any famous person can stop being silent and speak out without having to be afraid.
The audiobook narration was good enough so I recommend the audiobook if you're considering reading this book.
My only complaint is that the Christine Ford story in the second part and the Kavanaugh accusation and hearing weren't necessary. At least no in such great detail. I would've preferred the book to be centered mostly on Harvey and maybe other cases summarized. Ford's part wasn't that interesting to me.
It was eye-opening. Like everyone, I have heard of the Me Too movement and read about what was happening but to read all of this about a single famous person, is also different. How men in the Hollywood industry abused their power and got away with it. For decades. Especially someone like Harvey Weinstein. It was interesting to read about what was going on behind the scenes. It's also empowering because women who suffered from any famous person can stop being silent and speak out without having to be afraid.
The audiobook narration was good enough so I recommend the audiobook if you're considering reading this book.
My only complaint is that the Christine Ford story in the second part and the Kavanaugh accusation and hearing weren't necessary. At least no in such great detail. I would've preferred the book to be centered mostly on Harvey and maybe other cases summarized. Ford's part wasn't that interesting to me.
February 8, 2020
This was incredible. I listened to the audiobook and it was really hard to listen to at times, but it was also so informative about the start of the #MeToo movement, and I want to punch Harvey Weinstein and Brett Kavanaugh in the face.
September 27, 2019
Audiobook...read by the two co-authors, Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey and Rebecca Lowman. (known herself in the Audiobook world).
This professional memoir reads like a true crime thriller... with outstanding top-notch-in-depth-investigating and reporting.
How does an Hollywood ‘outsider’ get Angelina Jolie‘s phone number? Fascinating explosive details of the unfolding of the biggest sexual scandal in Hollywood.
Isn’t it just a ‘little’ tempting to except $100,000 a month to keep quiet?
The two New York award winning journalists, co-authors, Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey, ruthlessly investigated decades of details uncovering sexual harassment and sexual abuse that helped break the Harvey Weinstein story.
More than 80 women reported sexual abuse allegations. But... without these two journalists...secrets and silences would still be rampant.
The reporting follows ‘whispers and secrets’
occurring over 30 years by a large number of interviews with actresses, past and present employees, talent agents, business executives, entertainment and PR companies.
The focus is on the ‘structures-of-power’ that enabled Weinstein for decades.
With emotional stories... listening to “She Said”, is gripping.... and reads like a novel.
Actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan came forward early with accusations that Weinstein promised to help advance their career’s in return for sexual favors.
Massages for career advancement? Yuck!
Weinstein used private investigators to cover up stories to keep women quiet.
Gwyneth Paltrow and other famous actresses who worked in the film Industry, wanted to remain anonymous.
Gwyneth was very concerned about being a prime focus. Nobody wanted to go first.
One cannot finish this book without being incredibly thankful to Jodi and Megan...
Their phenomenal work - will go down in history.
I have no doubts that a movie will be made on this story - I just wonder who will star in it?
Brilliant Book!
This professional memoir reads like a true crime thriller... with outstanding top-notch-in-depth-investigating and reporting.
How does an Hollywood ‘outsider’ get Angelina Jolie‘s phone number? Fascinating explosive details of the unfolding of the biggest sexual scandal in Hollywood.
Isn’t it just a ‘little’ tempting to except $100,000 a month to keep quiet?
The two New York award winning journalists, co-authors, Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey, ruthlessly investigated decades of details uncovering sexual harassment and sexual abuse that helped break the Harvey Weinstein story.
More than 80 women reported sexual abuse allegations. But... without these two journalists...secrets and silences would still be rampant.
The reporting follows ‘whispers and secrets’
occurring over 30 years by a large number of interviews with actresses, past and present employees, talent agents, business executives, entertainment and PR companies.
The focus is on the ‘structures-of-power’ that enabled Weinstein for decades.
With emotional stories... listening to “She Said”, is gripping.... and reads like a novel.
Actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan came forward early with accusations that Weinstein promised to help advance their career’s in return for sexual favors.
Massages for career advancement? Yuck!
Weinstein used private investigators to cover up stories to keep women quiet.
Gwyneth Paltrow and other famous actresses who worked in the film Industry, wanted to remain anonymous.
Gwyneth was very concerned about being a prime focus. Nobody wanted to go first.
One cannot finish this book without being incredibly thankful to Jodi and Megan...
Their phenomenal work - will go down in history.
I have no doubts that a movie will be made on this story - I just wonder who will star in it?
Brilliant Book!
August 10, 2022
She Said is the story of the two reporters who investigated Harvey Weinstein and the search for victims of his abuse to state on the record what happened to them. Once their article was published, it launched a movement for women all over the world to come forward with their own stories of abuse. And following all of this was the testimony of allegations during the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
I had already read the book Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow and meant to read this book but then the covid19 pandemic hit and I couldn’t read anything not light and fluffy. Now that the movie is being released I wanted to hear from the two women who broke the story on Weinstein and how they uncovered it all.
It’s really horrifying when reading the details of how everything happened how Weinstein was able to get away with this horrid behavior for years just because of his money and power. So many people suffered and were afraid because of one man. I appreciate the detail this book had and followed along riveted as these two journalists told this story.
At first I didn’t connect why there was so much about Cavanaugh in this book near the end, but looking at how the article about Weinstein launched a movement it made sense to see how this would affect kind of the first test of the movement in action. It was interesting to see the decisions Ford made leading up to her testimony.
I had already read the book Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow and meant to read this book but then the covid19 pandemic hit and I couldn’t read anything not light and fluffy. Now that the movie is being released I wanted to hear from the two women who broke the story on Weinstein and how they uncovered it all.
It’s really horrifying when reading the details of how everything happened how Weinstein was able to get away with this horrid behavior for years just because of his money and power. So many people suffered and were afraid because of one man. I appreciate the detail this book had and followed along riveted as these two journalists told this story.
At first I didn’t connect why there was so much about Cavanaugh in this book near the end, but looking at how the article about Weinstein launched a movement it made sense to see how this would affect kind of the first test of the movement in action. It was interesting to see the decisions Ford made leading up to her testimony.
February 11, 2023
The arrogance of those in power exposed in a pageturner on the journalism that brought to light the Harvey Weinstein abuse cases. Almost thriller like at times and an absorbing read.
“There isn't ever going to be an end," she said. "The point is that people have to continue always speaking up. And not being afraid.”
An engaging read that gives you the feeling of watching over the shoulders of the journalists.
To be fair: the first part is so much stronger than the second part, if She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement had stopped on the publication date of the explosive article that ignited the #metoo movement, I would wholeheartedly have given the book 5 stars.
The Kavanaugh part at the end feels a bit bolted on after the climax of the publication of the main case, but also show how little has changed in some halls of powers and under partisan pressure.
Still this is a rollercoaster, with information and insights that really makes you wonder about the justice of legal systems:
- Lawyers who receive 40% of settlement, creating very perverse incentives
- How staff creditcards are used by Harvey Weinstein and how his Head of Financial Reporting becomes uncomfortable
- Prestige and power as a deflector shield
- Lawyers and Israeli surveillance firms who literally hire actors to get dirt on journalists
- Financial transactions to wire USD 600k from AIDS charity funds to film investors
- Harvey Weinstein who punched his own brother in the face till bleeding
- Famous actress Gwyneth Paltrow even being afraid to speak out
- Conflict of interest between lawyers both representing the company and the individual of Harvey Weinstein
- "How can we make this disappear as soon as possible" as company response to complaints about sexual harassment
- Non-disclosure agreements as weapons
“There isn't ever going to be an end," she said. "The point is that people have to continue always speaking up. And not being afraid.”
An engaging read that gives you the feeling of watching over the shoulders of the journalists.
To be fair: the first part is so much stronger than the second part, if She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement had stopped on the publication date of the explosive article that ignited the #metoo movement, I would wholeheartedly have given the book 5 stars.
The Kavanaugh part at the end feels a bit bolted on after the climax of the publication of the main case, but also show how little has changed in some halls of powers and under partisan pressure.
Still this is a rollercoaster, with information and insights that really makes you wonder about the justice of legal systems:
- Lawyers who receive 40% of settlement, creating very perverse incentives
- How staff creditcards are used by Harvey Weinstein and how his Head of Financial Reporting becomes uncomfortable
- Prestige and power as a deflector shield
- Lawyers and Israeli surveillance firms who literally hire actors to get dirt on journalists
- Financial transactions to wire USD 600k from AIDS charity funds to film investors
- Harvey Weinstein who punched his own brother in the face till bleeding
- Famous actress Gwyneth Paltrow even being afraid to speak out
- Conflict of interest between lawyers both representing the company and the individual of Harvey Weinstein
- "How can we make this disappear as soon as possible" as company response to complaints about sexual harassment
- Non-disclosure agreements as weapons
September 6, 2021
I listened to this book even though I had the hardcopy from my library. The audio was perfection and expertly read, but I had to change the edition in order to display this cover with the red S and all other letters in black. I didn't see that cover until after I finished the book (on mine all the letters were red). That cover gives me chills. It's brilliant...simultaneously subtle and lurid. I can't look away.
This book is everything: a salute to the truthtellers; a long-overdue spotlight on those who have suffered criminal indignities ranging from threats to groping to rape; an examination of this blight on our culture, and the personal and psychological tolls these women were willing to endure to force a collective examination of workplace sexual improprieties. This book also lays bare the absolute unwavering commitment and endless work these journalists put in for years to present this story.
This book offers a uniquely different perspective than the excellent Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators. Harvey Weinstein is not the focus of this book. This book is about the women and the movement that they precipitated. As expected from Pulitzer prizewinning journalists, this is an expert piece of investigative journalism and a thoroughly engrossing read. As some have noted, the last section on Christine Blasey Ford, though critically important to the movement, was not first-hand information to these journalists and in my opinion, that section lacked the punch that the rest of the book exacted. Nonetheless, this was excellent. Thank you to Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey for this incredible story. To the women involved: heroes!
4.5 stars
This book is everything: a salute to the truthtellers; a long-overdue spotlight on those who have suffered criminal indignities ranging from threats to groping to rape; an examination of this blight on our culture, and the personal and psychological tolls these women were willing to endure to force a collective examination of workplace sexual improprieties. This book also lays bare the absolute unwavering commitment and endless work these journalists put in for years to present this story.
This book offers a uniquely different perspective than the excellent Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators. Harvey Weinstein is not the focus of this book. This book is about the women and the movement that they precipitated. As expected from Pulitzer prizewinning journalists, this is an expert piece of investigative journalism and a thoroughly engrossing read. As some have noted, the last section on Christine Blasey Ford, though critically important to the movement, was not first-hand information to these journalists and in my opinion, that section lacked the punch that the rest of the book exacted. Nonetheless, this was excellent. Thank you to Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey for this incredible story. To the women involved: heroes!
4.5 stars
November 7, 2019
For those wondering if you should read both this book and CATCH AND KILL, I would say the answer is yes. While CAK is more focused on the drama of the reporting, this incorporates the story of getting the story within the broader context of how the Weinstein reporting fit into the cultural moment that allowed it to kick "me too" into high gear. This account also has a lot more build out of the Weinstein organization & detailing how his predation was a part of toxic pattern within a corporation willing to facilitate his behavior in the name of liability management to the point where the liability could not be contained.
By far my favorite moment of this book was the epilogue. I don't want to spoil it, but, in the words of the authors at a different point of the book, it left me "laughing and crying with relief, esprit de coeur, and sisterhood"
By far my favorite moment of this book was the epilogue. I don't want to spoil it, but, in the words of the authors at a different point of the book, it left me "laughing and crying with relief, esprit de coeur, and sisterhood"
August 3, 2021
This is a strange book. The two authors spent weeks and months putting a huge story together about Harvey Weinstein but it was tough to get any women to speak out, almost all of his victims were silenced by non-disclosure agreements, which were so restrictive that one woman’s husband had never heard of his wife’s problem with Harvey until our two reporters came calling. Now, after the first big story, dozens of other victims immediately surfaced. It became bitterly ironic. After scouring the country to find women willing to talk on record, the reporters were now overwhelmed with far too many abuse stories.
The authors tell this part of the story in great detail, trying to keep the tone cool and unemotional for the most part. I was reminded of books about Watergate – there is a waterfall of names and a steady flow of legalese to negotiate. But after this first big story and its immediate aftermath in October 2017 – shazam! we skip forward to May 2018 and find Harvey being hauled into court and charged with rape and serious sexual abuse. Damn, I really wanted to know the whole sequence of events between him being accused by a few very nervous women to the cops dragging him into court. But the authors weren’t directly involved in that part, so I guess that’s why they don’t allow us to enjoy Harvey’s rapid decline and fall. Schadenfreude denied!
(Okay, some schadenfreude is allowed to us. When Harvey is led into the courtroom to hear the charges one victim said “He’s now experiencing all the things he put everybody else through – humiliation, worthlessness, fear, weakness, aloneness, loss, suffering and embarrassment.”)
What they spend the rest of the book on is the accusation of sexual assault made by Christine Blasey Ford against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. This is also recounted in great detail. And then the book ends.
Very curious – it’s like the authors were presenting the reader with a Harvey counter-argument. With Weinstein many victim voices told similar stories about hotel rooms, Harvey in a bathrobe, coerced sexual contact, and so forth. But with Kavanaugh there was only one victim, and one incident, which happened when they were both teenagers, 30 plus years before. (“Others were likely to dismiss it as drunken horseplay”)
BACK TO HARVEY
One lawyer explained why the authors should maybe soft-pedal their Harvey story :
Weinstein had started to see his previous behaviour in a different light. Powerful men of an older generation were changing their understanding of the meaning of the word consensual…and why “women don’t feel it’s consensual even if a man convinces himself it is”
(That reminds me of what one cop said in a true crime book I read. The rapist told him “Well, she didn’t consent at first, but I pulled out a gun, then she consented.”)
Another lawyer asked the reporters :
Are you sure this isn’t just young women who want to sleep with a famous movie producer to try to get ahead?
So I think there must be a whole other book out there which contemplates the big picture, this #metoo tidal wave, and investigates whether men’s behaviour has in fact changed. This book often finds itself throwing off excellent questions :
Those who felt #metoo had not gone far enough and those who protested that it was going too far were saying some of the same things. There was a lack of process or clear enough rules. The public did not fully agree on the precise meaning of words like harassment or assault. …the feelings of unfairness on both sides just continued to mount.
Ugh, enough of all this old stuff about Weinstein and Trump and Bill O’Reilly and all those dreadful old guys. I think things have improved now. Anyway, I’m tired of thinking about it all. Let’s see what’s happening at the Olympics.
Oh wait, what’s this on the news today….
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been accused of sexually harassing multiple women, subjecting them to unwanted kissing and groping, in a damning independent investigation.
The state's Attorney General Letitia James said Mr Cuomo had violated state and federal laws.
In response, Mr Cuomo denied touching anyone inappropriately and vowed to continue as governor.
The authors tell this part of the story in great detail, trying to keep the tone cool and unemotional for the most part. I was reminded of books about Watergate – there is a waterfall of names and a steady flow of legalese to negotiate. But after this first big story and its immediate aftermath in October 2017 – shazam! we skip forward to May 2018 and find Harvey being hauled into court and charged with rape and serious sexual abuse. Damn, I really wanted to know the whole sequence of events between him being accused by a few very nervous women to the cops dragging him into court. But the authors weren’t directly involved in that part, so I guess that’s why they don’t allow us to enjoy Harvey’s rapid decline and fall. Schadenfreude denied!
(Okay, some schadenfreude is allowed to us. When Harvey is led into the courtroom to hear the charges one victim said “He’s now experiencing all the things he put everybody else through – humiliation, worthlessness, fear, weakness, aloneness, loss, suffering and embarrassment.”)
What they spend the rest of the book on is the accusation of sexual assault made by Christine Blasey Ford against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. This is also recounted in great detail. And then the book ends.
Very curious – it’s like the authors were presenting the reader with a Harvey counter-argument. With Weinstein many victim voices told similar stories about hotel rooms, Harvey in a bathrobe, coerced sexual contact, and so forth. But with Kavanaugh there was only one victim, and one incident, which happened when they were both teenagers, 30 plus years before. (“Others were likely to dismiss it as drunken horseplay”)
BACK TO HARVEY
One lawyer explained why the authors should maybe soft-pedal their Harvey story :
Weinstein had started to see his previous behaviour in a different light. Powerful men of an older generation were changing their understanding of the meaning of the word consensual…and why “women don’t feel it’s consensual even if a man convinces himself it is”
(That reminds me of what one cop said in a true crime book I read. The rapist told him “Well, she didn’t consent at first, but I pulled out a gun, then she consented.”)
Another lawyer asked the reporters :
Are you sure this isn’t just young women who want to sleep with a famous movie producer to try to get ahead?
So I think there must be a whole other book out there which contemplates the big picture, this #metoo tidal wave, and investigates whether men’s behaviour has in fact changed. This book often finds itself throwing off excellent questions :
Those who felt #metoo had not gone far enough and those who protested that it was going too far were saying some of the same things. There was a lack of process or clear enough rules. The public did not fully agree on the precise meaning of words like harassment or assault. …the feelings of unfairness on both sides just continued to mount.
Ugh, enough of all this old stuff about Weinstein and Trump and Bill O’Reilly and all those dreadful old guys. I think things have improved now. Anyway, I’m tired of thinking about it all. Let’s see what’s happening at the Olympics.
Oh wait, what’s this on the news today….
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been accused of sexually harassing multiple women, subjecting them to unwanted kissing and groping, in a damning independent investigation.
The state's Attorney General Letitia James said Mr Cuomo had violated state and federal laws.
In response, Mr Cuomo denied touching anyone inappropriately and vowed to continue as governor.
September 11, 2019
Kantor and Twohey are the two New York Times investigative reporters that broke the story about Harvey Weinstein’s habitual sexual harassment towards women. [More than 80 women have come forward to-date.] The two journalists had to wade through a flood of bullying tactics Weinstein used to keep these women’s stories silent for so long. Weinstein used his wealth to hire top-tier attorneys to craft airtight confidentiality agreements that his accusers had to sign in order to receive compensation. He also used media via The National Enquirer to either bury personal accounts or to discredit the victims; and used security firms like Black Cube to intimidate women accusers.
More disheartening is how presumably feminist attorneys like Gloria Allred negotiated nondisclosure agreements for victims in order to enrich themselves with 40% of the payout—not just for Harvey’s victims, but for women abused by Fox News host Bill O’Reilly and Olympics gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. And then there is Allred’s daughter, Lisa Bloom, who was retained by Weinstein. She developed a strategy of online campaigns to discredit accusers, painting them as liars, as well as other tactics.
Kantor and Twohey also interviewed Christine Blasey Ford who accused now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of assault, and follow her testimony before Congress. Ford comes across as totally naïve in regards to the political ramifications of her coming forward. She seems to have felt it was her duty as a citizen to inform Senator Feinstein, but really did not want to testify.
Recommend this compelling account of stellar investigative reporting.
More disheartening is how presumably feminist attorneys like Gloria Allred negotiated nondisclosure agreements for victims in order to enrich themselves with 40% of the payout—not just for Harvey’s victims, but for women abused by Fox News host Bill O’Reilly and Olympics gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. And then there is Allred’s daughter, Lisa Bloom, who was retained by Weinstein. She developed a strategy of online campaigns to discredit accusers, painting them as liars, as well as other tactics.
Kantor and Twohey also interviewed Christine Blasey Ford who accused now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of assault, and follow her testimony before Congress. Ford comes across as totally naïve in regards to the political ramifications of her coming forward. She seems to have felt it was her duty as a citizen to inform Senator Feinstein, but really did not want to testify.
Recommend this compelling account of stellar investigative reporting.
January 4, 2020
I devoured this in a day. No matter how familiar the headlines, the journey of a news story from idea, rumor, tip, to the front page is fascinating, particularly when that headline launches one of the biggest sociopolitical movements of the decade. My race to the finish of She Saidmade me think of how much I love watching All The President's Men. I never tire of that movie. It doesn't matter that you know the ending— not just to the movie, but all these years later, the political legacy left by Nixon's impeachment — it's the chase for the truth these reporters undertake when they aren't certain what that truth is, how big, who else is involved. A deep bow and grateful embrace to Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey for their tireless work, and to The New York Times for continuing to support their reporters.
On a deeply personal level, I know too that I was searching for clues. How did so many powerful, confident, successful, self-aware women withstand the abuse of the shitslime that is Harvey Weinstein and remain silent for so long? It wasn't clues I found in She Said, it was answers. Weinstein was aided and abetted by an army of sycophants, including defense legal teams and prosecutors erring on the side of famous powerful man over frightened, angry women, Weinstein's family, his corporation board members, even the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. And most egregiously, Gloria Allred and her daughter Lisa Bloom, lawyers who portrayed themselves as feminist legal champions for victims of sexual harassment and abuse. These two women have some epically bad Karma to contend with in lifetimes to come. It takes a village to shield a monster.
And yet, these two reporters, with no "in" to the worlds of celebrity, and a nearly impenetrable wall of silence between them and their story, burned that village to the ground. To date, more than eighty women have made allegations of sexual misconduct against the former movie producer. There has been a multimillion dollar settlement of a class action lawsuit with over twenty of his victims, and he's set to go on trial next week for raping two other women. Multiple rape allegation investiagations are underway in at least two states.
She Said concludes with a brief look at Christine Blasey Ford, her allegations of rape against then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and what Ford endured in her decision and action to take her accusations public. Despite Ford's compelling testimony and the outpouring of public support for her, the outcome —Kavanaugh's ascension to the Court — felt like so many steps back for a movement that is generations-old. It's a reminder that Weinstein's fall was but one battle won in an enormous war for truth and justice.
I feel such despair for the world, but investigative journalism remains a beacon of hope for me. Say what you will about the quality of the Fourth Estate in the internet age. I believe there are good people and organizations out there doing the work of avenging angels, and that the truths they uncover will set us free. Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey deservedly won a Pulitzer for their reporting, and became sheroes in a movement that gave so many women a voice.
An unputdownable read. One of the year's best.
On a deeply personal level, I know too that I was searching for clues. How did so many powerful, confident, successful, self-aware women withstand the abuse of the shitslime that is Harvey Weinstein and remain silent for so long? It wasn't clues I found in She Said, it was answers. Weinstein was aided and abetted by an army of sycophants, including defense legal teams and prosecutors erring on the side of famous powerful man over frightened, angry women, Weinstein's family, his corporation board members, even the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. And most egregiously, Gloria Allred and her daughter Lisa Bloom, lawyers who portrayed themselves as feminist legal champions for victims of sexual harassment and abuse. These two women have some epically bad Karma to contend with in lifetimes to come. It takes a village to shield a monster.
And yet, these two reporters, with no "in" to the worlds of celebrity, and a nearly impenetrable wall of silence between them and their story, burned that village to the ground. To date, more than eighty women have made allegations of sexual misconduct against the former movie producer. There has been a multimillion dollar settlement of a class action lawsuit with over twenty of his victims, and he's set to go on trial next week for raping two other women. Multiple rape allegation investiagations are underway in at least two states.
She Said concludes with a brief look at Christine Blasey Ford, her allegations of rape against then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and what Ford endured in her decision and action to take her accusations public. Despite Ford's compelling testimony and the outpouring of public support for her, the outcome —Kavanaugh's ascension to the Court — felt like so many steps back for a movement that is generations-old. It's a reminder that Weinstein's fall was but one battle won in an enormous war for truth and justice.
I feel such despair for the world, but investigative journalism remains a beacon of hope for me. Say what you will about the quality of the Fourth Estate in the internet age. I believe there are good people and organizations out there doing the work of avenging angels, and that the truths they uncover will set us free. Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey deservedly won a Pulitzer for their reporting, and became sheroes in a movement that gave so many women a voice.
An unputdownable read. One of the year's best.
April 20, 2020
Ever since reading Bad Blood and watching Spotlight I have been in awe of great journalism. She Said was a wonderful addition, and a must read book, especially since, like Bad Blood, the article that started it all, was only recently published, October 5th 2017. Interestingly enough, there was another journalist that worked on the same topic, Ronan Farrow, who wrote for The New Yorker, and published his article a few days later, on October 10th 2017. I haven’t read his article yet, but I’m intending to read his book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators this year. Both Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey as well as Ronan Farrow won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their journalism about Weinstein.
___________________________________
Ever since publication on September 10th 2019 I’ve seen SHE SAID all over Bookstagram, and later that year it was a Best Nonfiction nominee at the GR choice awards. Moreover every review I read so far has been glowing, and ended with “You have to read this book!”.
Following the news, the topic of She Said was known to me. I’ve seen daily news articles about Weinstein in the last quarter of 2017. There was no escaping him. BUT I had no idea about everything that came before the article, and how much time and effort went into it, much less how hard it was for the victims to come forward.
Reading about the journalistic research that both, Jodi and Meagan spent hours on, was fascinating. It boggled my mind how much double checking, calling people, rechecking and calling some more went into each step they took. Just finding ONE person willing to talk to them was an ordeal. Finding and talking to all these women that were willing to go on record, willing to speak about something that happened to them but also at the same to so many others, was heart-breaking.
The saying “You are not Alone” couldn’t have been more fitting in this case. The pattern of what Weinstein did became so obvious when the victims finally started talking. He isolated and violated women from all stations in life over three decades and in two different countries. And he did it in the same way, again and again. And most astounding, he actually thought he could get away with anything, because money bought silence.
But it became obvious pretty quickly that there was much more going on then just what Weinstein did to the women. The many lawyers and their casual attitude towards hush money. The typical old boy club. Nepotism. Promises and threats. And the many young women that were just too scared to speak up.
And the worst of all is that Weinstein is only one of these predators. There are so many more out there who believe that they can do anything they please, because money means power. I just hope they are getting their own reckoning soon.
___________________________________
Ever since publication on September 10th 2019 I’ve seen SHE SAID all over Bookstagram, and later that year it was a Best Nonfiction nominee at the GR choice awards. Moreover every review I read so far has been glowing, and ended with “You have to read this book!”.
Following the news, the topic of She Said was known to me. I’ve seen daily news articles about Weinstein in the last quarter of 2017. There was no escaping him. BUT I had no idea about everything that came before the article, and how much time and effort went into it, much less how hard it was for the victims to come forward.
Reading about the journalistic research that both, Jodi and Meagan spent hours on, was fascinating. It boggled my mind how much double checking, calling people, rechecking and calling some more went into each step they took. Just finding ONE person willing to talk to them was an ordeal. Finding and talking to all these women that were willing to go on record, willing to speak about something that happened to them but also at the same to so many others, was heart-breaking.
The saying “You are not Alone” couldn’t have been more fitting in this case. The pattern of what Weinstein did became so obvious when the victims finally started talking. He isolated and violated women from all stations in life over three decades and in two different countries. And he did it in the same way, again and again. And most astounding, he actually thought he could get away with anything, because money bought silence.
But it became obvious pretty quickly that there was much more going on then just what Weinstein did to the women. The many lawyers and their casual attitude towards hush money. The typical old boy club. Nepotism. Promises and threats. And the many young women that were just too scared to speak up.
And the worst of all is that Weinstein is only one of these predators. There are so many more out there who believe that they can do anything they please, because money means power. I just hope they are getting their own reckoning soon.
March 1, 2020
✨IMPORTANT✨
I read a lot of nonfiction/true crime/social movements books. But there are VERY FEW that I can say “yeah, that happened to me” to. She Said is a different story. It was an eerily relatable story. And at times, it was my story.
It’s taken me a while to write this review because of how much it stirred up raw emotion. How much it made me mad at young Natasha for not knowing how to assert the word “NO”. How much I excused because I was “female”.
And thank god I’m not that same young girl.
Quick synopsis: She Said is an investigative journey into the acts committed by Harvey Weinstein against women that spearheaded a bigger Me Too movement.
But instead of focusing on Weinstein, I wanna focus on the relatability of this book. There was one message that WRECKED me above all else: that men can silence women with money and a signed non-disclosure because they have the POWER to do so. Again, men can SILENCE women through means of MONEY and POWER.
If any of you know my story, you know how this stung. Because as someone who was in that situation, you are forced to do two things: EXCUSE the wrongful acts committed against you for a price and then keep quiet to allow that individual(s) to CONTINUE committing those acts.
You don’t walk away with your head held high like you stuck it to the man. (FUCK) NO. You walk away degraded, defeated, and with a tiny bit of financial padding to get you back on your feet.
But most of all, you walk away feeling like you let yourself down and other women down because you were too afraid to say NO. And that is something I live with every day.
In NO WAY, SHAPE, or FORM is it OKAY for our criminal justice system to ALLOW this form of silence to be perpetuated. And yet, these “settlements” happen ALL THE TIME. Sexual harassment is a systematic issue that will continue to be allowed and excused until someone with true authority says NO to non-disclosures. Because hundreds of thousands of women like me CANNOT legally talk about what happened to US.
With that said, I highly recommend this book. It’s infuriating, in-your-face, and crucial. Thank you to Megan and Jodi for writing this. And most of all, thank you to Penguin Press for publishing this. You will never know what it’s meant to me. 🧡(And yes, this gets a full-hearted 5-star ⭐️ rating from me!)
I read a lot of nonfiction/true crime/social movements books. But there are VERY FEW that I can say “yeah, that happened to me” to. She Said is a different story. It was an eerily relatable story. And at times, it was my story.
It’s taken me a while to write this review because of how much it stirred up raw emotion. How much it made me mad at young Natasha for not knowing how to assert the word “NO”. How much I excused because I was “female”.
And thank god I’m not that same young girl.
Quick synopsis: She Said is an investigative journey into the acts committed by Harvey Weinstein against women that spearheaded a bigger Me Too movement.
But instead of focusing on Weinstein, I wanna focus on the relatability of this book. There was one message that WRECKED me above all else: that men can silence women with money and a signed non-disclosure because they have the POWER to do so. Again, men can SILENCE women through means of MONEY and POWER.
If any of you know my story, you know how this stung. Because as someone who was in that situation, you are forced to do two things: EXCUSE the wrongful acts committed against you for a price and then keep quiet to allow that individual(s) to CONTINUE committing those acts.
You don’t walk away with your head held high like you stuck it to the man. (FUCK) NO. You walk away degraded, defeated, and with a tiny bit of financial padding to get you back on your feet.
But most of all, you walk away feeling like you let yourself down and other women down because you were too afraid to say NO. And that is something I live with every day.
In NO WAY, SHAPE, or FORM is it OKAY for our criminal justice system to ALLOW this form of silence to be perpetuated. And yet, these “settlements” happen ALL THE TIME. Sexual harassment is a systematic issue that will continue to be allowed and excused until someone with true authority says NO to non-disclosures. Because hundreds of thousands of women like me CANNOT legally talk about what happened to US.
With that said, I highly recommend this book. It’s infuriating, in-your-face, and crucial. Thank you to Megan and Jodi for writing this. And most of all, thank you to Penguin Press for publishing this. You will never know what it’s meant to me. 🧡(And yes, this gets a full-hearted 5-star ⭐️ rating from me!)
September 7, 2022
This book is written by the two reporters who broke the sexual misconduct story of Harvey Weinstein. This book is mainly about that investigation.
The Goodreads blurb says this book is about the investigation of Harvey Weinstein and his sexual harassment of female employees. That is not entirely true. The majority of this book is about that and I found that part to be fascinating. It was an incredible look and a detailed look at what these reporters faced and what the victims had to go through. They knew a story was there but couldn't get it off the ground as nobody wanted to be the first one. And it shows that Weinstein is a predator. If this book was mainly about this subject it is easy a five star read. Unfortunately this book veered off a couple of times and that is where it lost me. First, we opened with the allegations against President Trump. Right away I was groaning as this came across as political and I did not sign up for it. I am not a fan of him but I did not pick up this book to read about him. We did get into the Weinstein subject which I have stated I loved. Then we switched into the subject of Judge Kavanaugh and I was wondering how we got here. Once again the book lost me.
This book could have been so much better as I thought if it stayed true to the subject matter this book would have been an amazing read. It kind of came across that there wasn't enough material for a full length book if they just wrote about the Weinstein subject. I find that hard to believe and it seemed like they added the other material to fill up the pages. That being said I liked the book and I am really glad that I did read it.
The Goodreads blurb says this book is about the investigation of Harvey Weinstein and his sexual harassment of female employees. That is not entirely true. The majority of this book is about that and I found that part to be fascinating. It was an incredible look and a detailed look at what these reporters faced and what the victims had to go through. They knew a story was there but couldn't get it off the ground as nobody wanted to be the first one. And it shows that Weinstein is a predator. If this book was mainly about this subject it is easy a five star read. Unfortunately this book veered off a couple of times and that is where it lost me. First, we opened with the allegations against President Trump. Right away I was groaning as this came across as political and I did not sign up for it. I am not a fan of him but I did not pick up this book to read about him. We did get into the Weinstein subject which I have stated I loved. Then we switched into the subject of Judge Kavanaugh and I was wondering how we got here. Once again the book lost me.
This book could have been so much better as I thought if it stayed true to the subject matter this book would have been an amazing read. It kind of came across that there wasn't enough material for a full length book if they just wrote about the Weinstein subject. I find that hard to believe and it seemed like they added the other material to fill up the pages. That being said I liked the book and I am really glad that I did read it.
January 28, 2024
I've read Catch & Kill by Ronan Farrow, so I have some insight into how difficult it was to get the Weinstein story out, but this book gave me the emotional depth I was missing.
Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey were the two journalists who broke the story in the New York Times. Together, they take us through the build-up, the background work, and the intensity of the conversations. The breaking of the story and the aftermath.
While this is somewhat out of date, as we now know how the Weinstein trial played out, I was riveted. I felt like I got a real up-close look at journalism, I felt the fear of the women who started to speak up, I felt the rage of Weinstein and the puffed-out chests of his legal team, and I felt angry. I'm so angry.
I felt very reflective reading this, and maybe I'm too negative, but the me-too movement had the potential to change the world, yet the old boys club remains strong. I hope we've travelled further than I feel we have.
Five stars.
Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey were the two journalists who broke the story in the New York Times. Together, they take us through the build-up, the background work, and the intensity of the conversations. The breaking of the story and the aftermath.
While this is somewhat out of date, as we now know how the Weinstein trial played out, I was riveted. I felt like I got a real up-close look at journalism, I felt the fear of the women who started to speak up, I felt the rage of Weinstein and the puffed-out chests of his legal team, and I felt angry. I'm so angry.
I felt very reflective reading this, and maybe I'm too negative, but the me-too movement had the potential to change the world, yet the old boys club remains strong. I hope we've travelled further than I feel we have.
Five stars.
November 24, 2019
Loved this! The writing is amazing, filled with so many details but it still flows great and is very readable. You can definitely tell it is written by two professional journalists.
This book made me so angry and just breaks my heart how so many people knew about some of these things and it still went on for so many years, and happened to so many women. These men are disgusting. And even after they came forward how can so many people actually blame the women? I can't even comprehend how this plays out in their minds in order to rationalize that thinking.
I greatly admire all of the women in this book. From the ones who came forward, to the ones helping get the story out, to the ones trying to fight for justice. They are putting themselves out there to face harassment and even death threats in order to right wrongs and hopefully make things better for girls in the future. So courageous.
I absolutely recommend this book. I think these women's stories deserve to be heard.
This book made me so angry and just breaks my heart how so many people knew about some of these things and it still went on for so many years, and happened to so many women. These men are disgusting. And even after they came forward how can so many people actually blame the women? I can't even comprehend how this plays out in their minds in order to rationalize that thinking.
I greatly admire all of the women in this book. From the ones who came forward, to the ones helping get the story out, to the ones trying to fight for justice. They are putting themselves out there to face harassment and even death threats in order to right wrongs and hopefully make things better for girls in the future. So courageous.
I absolutely recommend this book. I think these women's stories deserve to be heard.
October 15, 2021
Excellent and compelling. mtc
4.5 Stars
Listened to the audiobook. The narration by Rebecca Lowman was excellent. Both authors contributed to the narration in the introduction and epilogue.
4.5 Stars
Listened to the audiobook. The narration by Rebecca Lowman was excellent. Both authors contributed to the narration in the introduction and epilogue.
October 12, 2019
I was fully prepared to give this 5 stars and declare it my non-fiction book of the year. Had it ended at 184 pages, I would absolutely be doing that. I'll explain.
First, you should know that the book is 422 pages long, but nearly 160 of those pages are notes (thus, putting to rest all the comments on book review forums claiming this to be a baseless cash grab), an index, and acknowledgements. That leaves 265 pages for actual prose.
The first 184 pages detail two young journalists from the NY Times (the co-authors of "She Said") as they chase down the decades-long story of how world famous mega-producer Harvey Weinstein abused his position of power by harassing and coercing scores of young women into sexual favors, and his history of litigating them into silence afterwards. For those of us who are already familiar with Weinstein (meaning, if you've been alive since 2017) the Weinstein story is not really the point; it's the big blob of cheese on top of the bowl of French Onion soup, but the good stuff is beneath.
The soup here is in how this story is told. It's in how these women manage to cull together leads long thought to be dead by other media, and how they uncover and come up against multiple systems (some by the Weinstein Company, some from legal firms, some from governmental agencies) that seem designed to punish victims while allowing their abusers the privacy and opportunity to abuse others. It's also in how they slowly gain trust from people who, by their own admission, should have had no reason to speak with them. It's in how, during this time when "fake news" frequently means "news I don't like," sources, redundancy, fact checking, method, and, ultimately, integrity matter. It's in their tenacity and success in getting people to finally take notice of how we can be better (although no real solutions are discussed). Through it all, Kantor and Twohey share their frustration over stonewalling, their nervousness at knocking on the doors of people who they know would rather forget their past, their thrill when someone unexpectedly says "yes, I'll tell you what I know," and their love of journalism. It's a terrific read, one that will only get better as future generations come across it.
That said, there are those final 80 pages to deal with. Here's where the book loses its way, as we leave the Times' newsroom and find ourselves a few weeks prior to the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, as most of us know, recognizes him as the drunken teenager who forced himself upon her at a party. Her story is certainly relevant in the telling of a #MeToo history, but this book isn't that, and neither Kantor nor Twohey had anything to do with breaking or researching Ford's story (although Kantor inserts herself into room the night before Ford's testimony). As a result this part of the book reads like an extended article. It's dry and oddly emotionless when compared to the excitement of the Weinstein story, and it offers nothing previously unreported except how indecisive Ford was about testifying (due to her fear of the cameras, not the strength of her accusation). I suspect this section of "She Said" will age the best, as those of us who witnessed the events as they unfolded die off.
The book ends with Kantor and Twohey gathering together several of the women swept up in the initial #MeToo current into one room in order to connect them and have a discussion about where proclaiming their accusers has led them emotionally. Included are Weinstein victims Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow, Ford, Rachel Crooks (a Trump accuser), and Kim Lawson, a McDonalds worker who led a campaign forcing the corporation to address sexual harassment. (As Lawson was furthest removed from the glam and resources of both Washington and Hollywood where the other stories took place, I would have loved to read more about her. Unfortunately, despite being a $10/hr worker who took on an entire corporation, she gets barely a mention.) This might have been the most poignant part of the book, but it's not; no real discussion is offered about the broken systems that allowed this type of abuse to propagate, no real conversation takes place regarding how class system affects victims or enables predators (this is hinted at in a couple of places throughout the book, which is why I expected it to lead somewhere). There is the subtle undertone that healing can now take place for some of these women, but I wanted to learn more about how they thought that would happen; I wanted to feel their strength, their faith, their thoughts of the future. I did learn that Gwyneth Paltrow enjoys collecting gilded teacups, though.
The bottom line is that "She Said" is important, if only as proof that fair journalism still exists in America. I just wish the authors had either limited their focus to the Weinstein story, or broadened their range to really discuss the #MeToo movement, as the book seems to want to do. As long as you go into it knowing that the deep analysis hinted at never goes anywhere, then those first 184 pages are 5 star all the way.
(A final note, on notes: I read the Kindle version, in which notes appear at the end of the book, numbered according to each chapter. Unfortunately, none of these notes are linked within the actual chapters, making looking them up after reading too tedious a chore. As I have not seen a copy of the physical book, this might be a publishing decision, but it's something readers might want to be aware of.)
First, you should know that the book is 422 pages long, but nearly 160 of those pages are notes (thus, putting to rest all the comments on book review forums claiming this to be a baseless cash grab), an index, and acknowledgements. That leaves 265 pages for actual prose.
The first 184 pages detail two young journalists from the NY Times (the co-authors of "She Said") as they chase down the decades-long story of how world famous mega-producer Harvey Weinstein abused his position of power by harassing and coercing scores of young women into sexual favors, and his history of litigating them into silence afterwards. For those of us who are already familiar with Weinstein (meaning, if you've been alive since 2017) the Weinstein story is not really the point; it's the big blob of cheese on top of the bowl of French Onion soup, but the good stuff is beneath.
The soup here is in how this story is told. It's in how these women manage to cull together leads long thought to be dead by other media, and how they uncover and come up against multiple systems (some by the Weinstein Company, some from legal firms, some from governmental agencies) that seem designed to punish victims while allowing their abusers the privacy and opportunity to abuse others. It's also in how they slowly gain trust from people who, by their own admission, should have had no reason to speak with them. It's in how, during this time when "fake news" frequently means "news I don't like," sources, redundancy, fact checking, method, and, ultimately, integrity matter. It's in their tenacity and success in getting people to finally take notice of how we can be better (although no real solutions are discussed). Through it all, Kantor and Twohey share their frustration over stonewalling, their nervousness at knocking on the doors of people who they know would rather forget their past, their thrill when someone unexpectedly says "yes, I'll tell you what I know," and their love of journalism. It's a terrific read, one that will only get better as future generations come across it.
That said, there are those final 80 pages to deal with. Here's where the book loses its way, as we leave the Times' newsroom and find ourselves a few weeks prior to the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, as most of us know, recognizes him as the drunken teenager who forced himself upon her at a party. Her story is certainly relevant in the telling of a #MeToo history, but this book isn't that, and neither Kantor nor Twohey had anything to do with breaking or researching Ford's story (although Kantor inserts herself into room the night before Ford's testimony). As a result this part of the book reads like an extended article. It's dry and oddly emotionless when compared to the excitement of the Weinstein story, and it offers nothing previously unreported except how indecisive Ford was about testifying (due to her fear of the cameras, not the strength of her accusation). I suspect this section of "She Said" will age the best, as those of us who witnessed the events as they unfolded die off.
The book ends with Kantor and Twohey gathering together several of the women swept up in the initial #MeToo current into one room in order to connect them and have a discussion about where proclaiming their accusers has led them emotionally. Included are Weinstein victims Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow, Ford, Rachel Crooks (a Trump accuser), and Kim Lawson, a McDonalds worker who led a campaign forcing the corporation to address sexual harassment. (As Lawson was furthest removed from the glam and resources of both Washington and Hollywood where the other stories took place, I would have loved to read more about her. Unfortunately, despite being a $10/hr worker who took on an entire corporation, she gets barely a mention.) This might have been the most poignant part of the book, but it's not; no real discussion is offered about the broken systems that allowed this type of abuse to propagate, no real conversation takes place regarding how class system affects victims or enables predators (this is hinted at in a couple of places throughout the book, which is why I expected it to lead somewhere). There is the subtle undertone that healing can now take place for some of these women, but I wanted to learn more about how they thought that would happen; I wanted to feel their strength, their faith, their thoughts of the future. I did learn that Gwyneth Paltrow enjoys collecting gilded teacups, though.
The bottom line is that "She Said" is important, if only as proof that fair journalism still exists in America. I just wish the authors had either limited their focus to the Weinstein story, or broadened their range to really discuss the #MeToo movement, as the book seems to want to do. As long as you go into it knowing that the deep analysis hinted at never goes anywhere, then those first 184 pages are 5 star all the way.
(A final note, on notes: I read the Kindle version, in which notes appear at the end of the book, numbered according to each chapter. Unfortunately, none of these notes are linked within the actual chapters, making looking them up after reading too tedious a chore. As I have not seen a copy of the physical book, this might be a publishing decision, but it's something readers might want to be aware of.)
October 7, 2019
This was a truly gripping book about the origins of the Me Too movement and in particular, the way a small team of dedicated journalists uncovered the Harvey Weinstein abuse scandal. Of course, much of this has already been in the media, but the behind-the-scenes look at how the story came together, the work and time and emotional tribulations that went into it make it an absolutely worthwhile read. Recommended!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
February 29, 2020
Fascinating what happened behind the scenes during investigations of Trump and his treatment of women, Weinstein and sexual abuse and Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault accusation of Brett Kavanaugh. Jodi and Megan are relentless rockstars! Read in one day!
March 2, 2020
The first part was fascinating, about how the journalist authors pursued the story of Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment of both actors and workers at his company. The details of the mechanics of the journalism involved were especially interested (e.g. the formal process of obtaining a response from Weinstein, timing considerations, which stories to run with). The view of the impact of civil settlements and accompanying non-disclosure agreements was also thought-provoking. Then the book petered out somewhat two-thirds of the way through as it switched to dealing with the Christine Blasey Ford story, which the authors had much less professional involvement in. And it ended with a kaffeeklatsch in Gwyneth Paltrow's living room, which was...odd. But that first part of the book though...
May 20, 2020
From the embers of lone cries from outspoken activitists and disturbing hotel room encounters implicating Harvey Weinstein, a horrific pattern of sexual predation was unearthed to spark a raging flame. The Me Too movement was founded back in 2006 by Tarana Burke, but it was New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who poured the gasoline to ignite the movement in 2017. She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement is an explosive and impactful account of the reportorial fact-checking, corroboration, and investigation of allegations against Harvey Weinstein, only made possible by the brave women—actresses, executives, assistants, and company staff—who came forward.
The book follows Kantor and Twohey's assiduous crafting of a full-bodied story, uncovering the atrocious frequency and degree of sexual assault that Harvey Weinstein had been committing for decades upon decades. Vocal advocates like Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan were just the tip of the iceberg. Unsuspecting high-profile actresses and career-hopeful ingénues alike, it was disturbing to learn about countless women being called to impromptu hotel room meetings, meant for "work" purposes only for Weinstein to be dressed in a bathrobe and requesting a massage or worse. Ugh.
I have a newfound respect for just how difficult it is for women to expose themselves and share their story. In a system mired with little recourse for reported sexual harassment and defaults to secret settlements, the culprits, lawyers, and companies had gone to extraordinary lengths to suffocate and silence women's voices. She Said details the challenges that Kantor and Twohey had "working in the blank spaces between the words," to find the story in the silence.
We now know it was Harvey Weinstein who committed the heinous acts of harassment and assault, but his enormous circle of influence and power enabled him to continue unpunished for so long. Be it lawyers (Lisa Bloom and David Boies are new on my hit-list for greedy, unscrupulous, and scheming people) who deliberately covered up Weinstein's tracks or witnesses who'd rather turn a blind eye, I walk away with a renewed respect for the enormous power and responsibility carried by journalists.
This is heavy and upsetting reading. It is a gripping and powerful behind-the-scenes account that will rile you up—as it should. There's briefer mention of other cases, including Brock Turner, Bill O'Reilly, and Brett Kavanaugh. These are important stories, though I found them not as detailed and tightly presented in comparison to the rest of the book. If nothing else, Kantor and Twohey bring you to realize the sheer burden of difficulty and cost for victims to speak up, to be the ones on which we put the label: "she said."
The book follows Kantor and Twohey's assiduous crafting of a full-bodied story, uncovering the atrocious frequency and degree of sexual assault that Harvey Weinstein had been committing for decades upon decades. Vocal advocates like Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan were just the tip of the iceberg. Unsuspecting high-profile actresses and career-hopeful ingénues alike, it was disturbing to learn about countless women being called to impromptu hotel room meetings, meant for "work" purposes only for Weinstein to be dressed in a bathrobe and requesting a massage or worse. Ugh.
I have a newfound respect for just how difficult it is for women to expose themselves and share their story. In a system mired with little recourse for reported sexual harassment and defaults to secret settlements, the culprits, lawyers, and companies had gone to extraordinary lengths to suffocate and silence women's voices. She Said details the challenges that Kantor and Twohey had "working in the blank spaces between the words," to find the story in the silence.
We now know it was Harvey Weinstein who committed the heinous acts of harassment and assault, but his enormous circle of influence and power enabled him to continue unpunished for so long. Be it lawyers (Lisa Bloom and David Boies are new on my hit-list for greedy, unscrupulous, and scheming people) who deliberately covered up Weinstein's tracks or witnesses who'd rather turn a blind eye, I walk away with a renewed respect for the enormous power and responsibility carried by journalists.
This is heavy and upsetting reading. It is a gripping and powerful behind-the-scenes account that will rile you up—as it should. There's briefer mention of other cases, including Brock Turner, Bill O'Reilly, and Brett Kavanaugh. These are important stories, though I found them not as detailed and tightly presented in comparison to the rest of the book. If nothing else, Kantor and Twohey bring you to realize the sheer burden of difficulty and cost for victims to speak up, to be the ones on which we put the label: "she said."
February 11, 2023
The Reporting for the NYT Article won Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018. Well Deserved
Incredible. This story starts b/c the 2 authors are reporters for The New York Times. They begin looking into allegations about Harvey Weinstein. The amount of abuse he perpetuated is horrible, but the amount of powerful people who knew and helped keep this from being heard is perhaps worse. Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment were mostly dealt with by signing a highly restrictive confidentiality settlement. With that came a financial settlement, but with it came silence. That was how this behavior was allowed to continue. Still, this did come out. It was published in The New York Times in 2019 and had an enormous impact. This is a sacred privilege we have in the United States. It started the #meToo movement. Many women came forward. The book focuses later on Brent Kavanaugh being nominated to the US Supreme Court. Christine Blasey Ford reluctantly comes forward. She does testify before the Senate Committee. Brent Kavanaugh still became a Supreme Court Justice.
In the end, the authors and the early women who spoke out get together at Gwyneth Paltrow’s house. The best line said is, ‘The point is people need to always speak up and not be afraid’. This has changed the way women’s stories are being listened to. It has had a far reaching impact that I believe will continue. Still, to stand up and say your story, when you are one of the first few people to do is very hard. It takes extraordinary bravery. So, thank you for doing so.
Incredible. This story starts b/c the 2 authors are reporters for The New York Times. They begin looking into allegations about Harvey Weinstein. The amount of abuse he perpetuated is horrible, but the amount of powerful people who knew and helped keep this from being heard is perhaps worse. Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment were mostly dealt with by signing a highly restrictive confidentiality settlement. With that came a financial settlement, but with it came silence. That was how this behavior was allowed to continue. Still, this did come out. It was published in The New York Times in 2019 and had an enormous impact. This is a sacred privilege we have in the United States. It started the #meToo movement. Many women came forward. The book focuses later on Brent Kavanaugh being nominated to the US Supreme Court. Christine Blasey Ford reluctantly comes forward. She does testify before the Senate Committee. Brent Kavanaugh still became a Supreme Court Justice.
In the end, the authors and the early women who spoke out get together at Gwyneth Paltrow’s house. The best line said is, ‘The point is people need to always speak up and not be afraid’. This has changed the way women’s stories are being listened to. It has had a far reaching impact that I believe will continue. Still, to stand up and say your story, when you are one of the first few people to do is very hard. It takes extraordinary bravery. So, thank you for doing so.
February 25, 2020
Excellent. I read it in one sitting. Ultimately it was unbelievable, all too real, enraging, and hopeful. Highly recommended for those who have been following the #metoo movement.
Update 2/23/20
I am so proud of the women who spoke up in this book and congrats to the reporters who helped reveal the predator and the system who kept him one. I feel like some justice was served. But we still have a long way to go.
Update 2/23/20
I am so proud of the women who spoke up in this book and congrats to the reporters who helped reveal the predator and the system who kept him one. I feel like some justice was served. But we still have a long way to go.
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