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tgigstad's review against another edition
2.0
Obvi an important book but I felt like I didn’t learn anything *that* new and the solutions were applicable to most work environments so it turned into a manager guide towards the end.
fkshg8465's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Sadly, nothing new (only in that this BS has been happening since Adam). Will be hard to watch Lost in the same way ever again, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Ableism, Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Self harm, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Violence, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Suicide, and Physical abuse
febyidrus's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
An effective exposé of the atrocious work culture that clearly pervades much of Hollywood's sets. The final part, which constitutes a call for change and potential steps to improve it, feels less effective though, possibly because she has so strongly laid out how the Hollywood machine crushes any attempt to address wrongs. It's eye opening and sobering to read about how some of your favourite shows were made while truly gross discriminations, injustices and cover ups were happening backstage. But Ryan doesn't go very much into this dissonance between the art we love and the arseholes who made it.
saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.5
A very dense book that could have done more with its reporting. I'm involved enough with discourse around Hollywood that the systemic problems discussed were not surprising, but I did find a lot of the specific examples fascinating.
Some especially eye-opening discussions were the ones about how entry-level workers are abused, how Nicole Beharie was abused on Sleepy Hollow, the racism on Lost, the lack of diversity with the 2015 Muppets show, SNL's toxic environment, and the positive environments of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and WandaVision. I applaud the author's in-depth reporting and thorough research!
I did find the book a bit too dense, at times feeling like a textbook. It also felt repetitive at points, especially when it tried to discuss the overall systemic issues. The book is much stronger in how it talks about specific examples. I also found part two of the book weak, although there's good ideas presented for how Hollywood can change, a lot of it is too broad or vague (advice like "fire bad people" or "don't be racist") or it's not considering alternative systems enough. Especially the advice on how entry-level people can protect themselves is weak.
Overall, Burn It Down is well researched and eye-opening in many ways. Though it is not as radical as the clickbait-y title suggests and its prose is far too dense and dry. I'd recommend the whole book for people who aren't familiar with Hollywood's systemic abuse, for people who are familiar I'd recommend maybe skimming around the novel for whatever shows or examples you're interested in reading about.
Some especially eye-opening discussions were the ones about how entry-level workers are abused, how Nicole Beharie was abused on Sleepy Hollow, the racism on Lost, the lack of diversity with the 2015 Muppets show, SNL's toxic environment, and the positive environments of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and WandaVision. I applaud the author's in-depth reporting and thorough research!
I did find the book a bit too dense, at times feeling like a textbook. It also felt repetitive at points, especially when it tried to discuss the overall systemic issues. The book is much stronger in how it talks about specific examples. I also found part two of the book weak, although there's good ideas presented for how Hollywood can change, a lot of it is too broad or vague (advice like "fire bad people" or "don't be racist") or it's not considering alternative systems enough. Especially the advice on how entry-level people can protect themselves is weak.
Overall, Burn It Down is well researched and eye-opening in many ways. Though it is not as radical as the clickbait-y title suggests and its prose is far too dense and dry. I'd recommend the whole book for people who aren't familiar with Hollywood's systemic abuse, for people who are familiar I'd recommend maybe skimming around the novel for whatever shows or examples you're interested in reading about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Homophobia
sunshinemagik's review against another edition
Very repetitive. 20% of the way in and she's not telling me anything new.
barizley's review against another edition
5.0
Well researched and well written, with just enough snark to make me laugh and keep going instead of rage-throwing my phone into a river. I appreciated how much she shared the mic, highlighting stories and observations from people from marginalized communities. I also loved her ideas about restorative justice and other ways forward.
I read a lot of “awful people being awful” nonfiction and I cannot remember one that dedicated this much energy to clear paths forward. Even if the awful people in question here do not read this book or take any of the prescribed steps toward betterment for themselves or restitution for others (of course they will not), there’s so much that can be translated to other arenas. As a museum professional, I see a lot of parallels between Hollywood and the museum world. Yikes. The chapters dedicated to forging a better way felt productive and hopeful, even if they are a fantasy.
I read a lot of “awful people being awful” nonfiction and I cannot remember one that dedicated this much energy to clear paths forward. Even if the awful people in question here do not read this book or take any of the prescribed steps toward betterment for themselves or restitution for others (of course they will not), there’s so much that can be translated to other arenas. As a museum professional, I see a lot of parallels between Hollywood and the museum world. Yikes. The chapters dedicated to forging a better way felt productive and hopeful, even if they are a fantasy.
mollytics's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0