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lightreadsCatch and Kill
4/5. Sort of the story of how he investigated and reported Harvey Weinstein's crimes, but mostly the story of how and why NBC tried to squash it. Some thoughts:
-I didn't read this for a long time because my Kevin Bacon number with respect to a few minor personalities in this book is, uh, very low. But eventually I was interested enough that I figured fuck it, so there you go, that's your caveat.
-I generally have very little patience for how I reportered this books, but this isn't that. It's mostly a how I very nearly didn't get to reporter this book, with a particular emphasis on the structures of money and power and influence that left the story in limbo for so long. This also means that it isn't a book about Weinstein. He's around, but we aren't required to DGAF about his feelings or whatever, except to find him pathetic by the end.
-Farrow is largely straight-facedly telling a story that was extremely hard for him to live through. He's careful what he says about that – he clearly doesn't want to be the story either, but he is part of it. The emotional outlet of the book is Jon Lovett, who is ranting in the distance behind every single page, you can just tell, and once in a while he breaks through and speaks in the text.
-Farrow reads the audiobook. He does accents. It's a thing. It should maybe not be a thing, but okay. What I will say about the audio is that there is a copy of the recording Farrow obtained of Weinstein attempting to force a woman up to his hotel room so he can rape her (he was unsuccessful). It is very upsetting to listen to, particularly if, like me, you were not expecting it at all.
-This is not a sources and methods book, like I said. Which is a plus for me, but it does mean that there are pieces of this story for which we never get a clear explanation. E.g. particular conversations by phone between two people neither of whom would have recounted the details to Farrow, and that wouldn't have been in the data dumps he got later. I don't doubt he has them meticulously sourced, and I get why the book is done this way, but it does leave some lingering questions.
Content notes: Harvey Weinstein and everything he did; also other predators; also see note above about the audiobook.
4/5. Sort of the story of how he investigated and reported Harvey Weinstein's crimes, but mostly the story of how and why NBC tried to squash it. Some thoughts:
-I didn't read this for a long time because my Kevin Bacon number with respect to a few minor personalities in this book is, uh, very low. But eventually I was interested enough that I figured fuck it, so there you go, that's your caveat.
-I generally have very little patience for how I reportered this books, but this isn't that. It's mostly a how I very nearly didn't get to reporter this book, with a particular emphasis on the structures of money and power and influence that left the story in limbo for so long. This also means that it isn't a book about Weinstein. He's around, but we aren't required to DGAF about his feelings or whatever, except to find him pathetic by the end.
-Farrow is largely straight-facedly telling a story that was extremely hard for him to live through. He's careful what he says about that – he clearly doesn't want to be the story either, but he is part of it. The emotional outlet of the book is Jon Lovett, who is ranting in the distance behind every single page, you can just tell, and once in a while he breaks through and speaks in the text.
-Farrow reads the audiobook. He does accents. It's a thing. It should maybe not be a thing, but okay. What I will say about the audio is that there is a copy of the recording Farrow obtained of Weinstein attempting to force a woman up to his hotel room so he can rape her (he was unsuccessful). It is very upsetting to listen to, particularly if, like me, you were not expecting it at all.
-This is not a sources and methods book, like I said. Which is a plus for me, but it does mean that there are pieces of this story for which we never get a clear explanation. E.g. particular conversations by phone between two people neither of whom would have recounted the details to Farrow, and that wouldn't have been in the data dumps he got later. I don't doubt he has them meticulously sourced, and I get why the book is done this way, but it does leave some lingering questions.
Content notes: Harvey Weinstein and everything he did; also other predators; also see note above about the audiobook.