Megan Twohey

Fascinating. From the investigative work uncovering the vast history of Harvey Weinstein's sexual assaults on women to the powder keg of the ME TOO movement ignited by that work--fascinating. I'm almost sixty (I write the word because I find the number daunting) and fortunately have been quite liberal from a young age. Even so, gender stereotypes that served a male dominant power structure were deeply ingrained in me. Sure more women should be doctors but having a just a few around seemed satisfactory. Someday there will be more. Sure women should be directing major motion pictures--there are a couple. One day there will be more. Etc. And by extension, sexual abuse and harassment are bad but it doesn't happen that often and it will soon go away (and it's only done by strangers). Our culture has long been calcified by these conceits. I knew better. The smartest and most dedicated people I knew were mostly women. I was blessed to be considered a good listener and was stunned to find out how many women I knew had suffered abuse. Once I was married a whole new pipeline of second hand stories entered my life. The extent of such things is heartbreaking. Even knowing all this, I can still feel the box of stereotypes around me. Maybe I had just given up hope that serious change was possible in my lifetime. But the world feels different now. Sure it appears chaotic but that's what happens when you find that crack and push your way up through the ice. There have been advances before but the battles today for racial, gender, and Lgbtqi+ rights feel like they will not stop. I just have to see the fear on the faces of their oppressors to feel this way (fear is most often expressed as hate). So this book fascinates as a You Are There at the dawn of great possibilities.… (más)

On October 5, 2017, the New York Times ran an article detailing how Harvey Weinstein, famed movie producer, sexually harassed females who met him for roles in movies as well as those young females who worked for his company. There had always been rumors of his treatment of those women but no one was ever willing to come forward…until now. The journalists covering the story, Kantor and Twohey, interview women they believe have been victimized by the producer and discover a paper of payments and ultra-restricting NDAs. When the scandal finally made its way to the public, the authors are contacted by someone else…a woman who claimed she had been assaulted by a Supreme Court nominee when they were in high school. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford is made to testify before Congress about the intimate details of her life and that night in high school. These cases helped empower the #MeToo movement created by Tarana Burke and people shared their own stories of harassment and assault to show that it happened to everyone.

The story is narrated in part by the authors and another young woman named Rebecca Lowman who did a wonderful job in telling the story of so many women and never taking away from the story. It was amazing to hear these stories finally come to light. If you are interested in reading the original article, please click here. If you have been a victim of sexual assault or harassment, please know there is help. You can reach out to National Sexual Assault Hotline for help reaching those you need.… (más)