Ken Auletta

A fairly comprehensive account of the rise and fall of Harvey Weinstein, Ken Auletta’s Hollywood Ending will have you longing for a shower by the time you finish it. Auletta produces a convincing portrait of Weinstein as a narcissist, an abuser, and a sociopath—one who has no compunction about swearing on the lives of his children while lying through his teeth. But Auletta seems more interested in trying to figure out what makes Weinstein tick (an answer which seems both unknowable and show more pretty banal all at once) than he is in really digging into the systems which allow for the amassing of toxic and exploitative power in Hollywood and elsewhere. This sordid books provides a few hints that while Weinstein may have been cruder in his manipulations and cruelties than many, he was far from being an outlier. show less

I feel strongly that this creep should receive what he gave the women he raped -- fear, a sense of helplessness, the terror that stays long after the terrible event occurred. I'm glad Harvey Weinstein received a long sentence in jail. May he rot in jail the rest of his life.

This book clearly outlines how Harvey Weinstein brought back the old Hollywood days when the infamous couch was in place where producers stalked and raped women in order to dangle the hope of a choice role in a movie. He show more truly was a creep who knew no boundaries. show less

The author uses his journalism prowess to produce an exhaustive – and in some sections exhausting — chronicle of Weinstein’s despicable misdeeds. Having closely followed many of the twists and turns since the New York Times’ expose in the fall of 2017, I didn’t encounter too many surprises in Auletta’s skillfully crafted work. But the fact that I managed to finish the book in one week – during an incredibly busy week – is a testament to the book’s overall “pull.” I do show more agree with one reviewer who suggested that the author should have spent more time digging into the flawed systems that not only ignored but also seemingly sanctioned Weinstein’s abuse. Still, “Hollywood Ending” is an engrossing and well-written book that shines a cringeworthy spotlight on a tragic tale. show less

Surprisingly unsurprising history of Google. Smart, well-connected people had a big idea and were incredibly lucky. They ruffled feathers and made fortunes, almost in equal measure. Will they survive success? Too soon to tell. Auletta, for example, touts the as-of-this-writing (2009) shift of YouTube to more longform professional content, contending that it’s obvious that only such content could ultimately make YouTube profitable. While it’s clear that working with legacy content owners show more was vital to the continuation of the project, it now turns out that user-generated content makes more money for copyright owners than their own official productions. This isn’t to denigrate Auletta, it’s just that no one I’ve met or read has been able to predict the shape of the digital world 5 years from now. Some people are right about some predictions some of the time … but which ones? Thus, it’s hard to take any lessons from all of Auletta’s interviews and details. show less