She Said (book)

''She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement'' is a 2019 nonfiction book written by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, two ''New York Times'' investigative reporters who exposed Harvey Weinstein's history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women, a catalyst for the burgeoning MeToo movement. The book was published on September 10, 2019 by Penguin Press.

Methodology

The book details the behind-the scenes and publicly known processes the authors employed to investigate and publish stories uncovering sexual harassment and sexual abuse by high-profile and powerful men including Harvey Weinstein. The book details new information that helped break the Weinstein story, including sources, documents, and chasing leads. It follows the reporters "from the first exploratory phone calls, to a mounting trail of evidence, to a final face off with a ell knownbelligerent" accused person. The book also deals with the open questions about which behaviors and gray areas should constitute sexual harassment:

Kantor admitted that there is “a mounting sense of unfairness on both sides” about a system that no one thinks “works for the accuser, or the accused." Their job remains, as Kantor put it, to ask the three main questions surrounding any allegation: “What is the scope of the behaviors under scrutiny?;” “How do we get the facts right?;” and “What should punishment and accountability look like?”

The authors continue to investigate these questions. To help persuade sources to talk to them, the sources were told that what happened in the past cannot be changed but "together we may be able to use your experience to help protect other people."

Gwyneth Paltrow was instrumental in helping the reporter-authors behind the scenes and whose efforts are chronicled in the book. Near the end of the book, the authors discuss Christine Blasey Ford and the choices that led her to publicly confront Brett Kavanaugh, then a Supreme Court nominee.

Circle of influence

The book chronicles the intersection of executives, companies, lawyers, gossip columnists, tabloid publishers, talent agents, entertainment companies, and Public Relations (PR) companies that became enmeshed in Weinstein's circle of influence which served to hide and bury information about his behaviors, but was an open secret. Quid pro quo took the form of agreeing to buy film rights to books and stories for "high-grossing films", and promising on-screen roles.

The focus is on the systemic "structures of power" that enabled Weinstein for decades. The reporting, which followed "whispers and rumors" occurring over 30 years, was supported by large numbers of interviews with actresses, past and present employees, filings in court, corporate records, and "internal company communications that documented a thick web of cover-ups, bullying tactics and confidential settlements."

Reviews

According to the book review aggregator Book Marks, ''She Said'' received critical acclaim.

In her review for ''The New York Times,'' Susan Faludi, wrote, "Kantor and Twohey have crafted their news dispatches into a seamless and suspenseful account of their reportorial journey, a gripping blow-by-blow of how they managed, 'working in the blank spaces between the words,' to corroborate allegations that had been chased and abandoned by multiple journalists before them. ''She Said'' reads a bit like a feminist ''All the President’s Men''.”
The ''Times'' noted that, "This book was one of our most anticipated titles of September".

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

Film

A film adaptation of the book directed by Maria Schrader was released on November 18, 2022. The film is a co-production by Plan B Entertainment, Annapurna Pictures and Universal Pictures. It stars Zoe Kazan, Carey Mulligan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Samantha Morton, Tom Pelphrey, and Adam Shapiro.

Further reading

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

References

External links

Book page
IndieBound.org

{{Weinstein effect
American non-fiction books
Investigative journalism
Sexual harassment in the United States
Sexual assaults in the United States
2019 non-fiction books
Collaborative non-fiction books
Non-fiction books adapted into films
Sexual harassment journalism
Works about the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations