She Said

She Said

by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey
Genres: Nonfiction
Length: 9:52
Published on September 10, 2019
Pages: 320
Format: Audiobook Source: Library

The instant New York Times bestseller.

"An instant classic of investigative journalism...‘All the President’s Men’ for the Me Too era." — Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters who broke the news of Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment and abuse for the New York Times, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the thrilling untold story of their investigation and its consequences for the #MeToo movement

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.


I just recently heard of this book through the trailer for the movie adaptation. This book focuses on the women who came together to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault.

This wasn’t the first time that people had named him as a person who assaulted women. It was an open secret in Hollywood. But up until this time no one had ever cared enough or was powerful enough to stop him. Many of the women involved had signed non-disclosure agreements that prohibited them from speaking to the press. The journalists had to find other ways to prove what had been happening. They were able to follow the money from those settlements to show that Weinstein had a pattern of paying off women.

The addition of the story of Christine Blasey Ford at the end was interesting but didn’t seem to fit in this book at all. It seemed tacked on. The only thing tying it together was that they had done an article on her and invited her to a large joint interview with women from sexual assault articles that they had written.

This was a good audiobook but I don’t know how well it will translate as a movie. I had it when movies are more “inspired by” real events rather than staying true to the story. So much of the book relies on the stories of Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow. According to IMDB, they aren’t being portrayed in the movie version. There are characters listed who aren’t in the book. I don’t have high hopes.