Everybody said this was a good read, and it was. I love journalism books, and this was one of the truest to that form. In many ways, Kantor and Twohey had to make sure it was, that they crossed every ‘T’ and dotted every ‘I’ just so they didn’t leave themselves open to legal action, or worse, from the subjects of their investigation.
This isn’t a long book, but it packs a big punch. Twohey and Kantor are extremely detailed in documenting their investigation, how they tracked down sources and secured them, and how they ultimately broke the story of Harvey Weinstein’s trash behavior, his power trips and corruption, and the power he and those around him wielded in order to cover it up and keep the money machine going.
I read this book back in mid-July, but I actually just started reading Catch and Kill last night, so that’s providing a very strange comparison in my head right now. They are nominally about the same subject, but are very different. This book is very straightforward and journalistic, and it is very focused on the sources, humanizing them, and talking about how the two authors managed to get so many of the women to talk, even breaking NDA’s and payoffs in the process. They certainly experienced some of Weinstein’s skullduggery and weird threatening behavior, but they also were very careful, and had the support of the NY Times in their efforts.
One of the things that I enjoyed most about this book was the feeling of release and catharsis experienced by the women as they finally break their silence, and the sense of empathy you have for them, from low-level assistants all the way up to Gwyneth Paltrow, who takes a lot of hits in pop culture media for her privilege and her GOOPness, but who ultimately I think is a good person. Twohey and Kantor bring up the infamous jade vagina egg incident, and Paltrow’s reaction was genuine distress at being so slagged. When I heard about this product, I guess I assumed it was a cynical ploy on her part, but I don’t think it actually was. She was also so kind and empathetic as portrayed here, especially in the last chapter when she hosts a gathering of many of the survivors in her home. No matter how many times she is in a movie with Sebastian Stan but doesn’t know who he is (how could you not????), I think I will still like her.
Definitely check this one out if you have been waiting on it for some reason.
