Book Review: "Catch and Kill" by Ronan Farrow
“Catch and Kill” by Ronan Farrow
Synopsis: In 2017, a routine network television investigation led Ronan Farrow to a story only whispered about: one of Hollywood's most powerful producers was a predator, protected by fear, wealth, and a conspiracy of silence. As Farrow drew closer to the truth, shadowy operatives, from high-priced lawyers to elite war-hardened spies, mounted a secret campaign of intimidation, threatening his career, following his every move, and weaponizing an account of abuse in his own family.
All the while, Farrow and his producer faced a degree of resistance they could not explain -- until now. And a trail of clues revealed corruption and cover-ups from Hollywood to Washington and beyond.
This is the untold story of the exotic tactics of surveillance and intimidation deployed by wealthy and connected men to threaten journalists, evade accountability, and silence victims of abuse. And it's the story of the women who risked everything to expose the truth and spark a global movement.
Both a spy thriller and a meticulous work of investigative journalism, Catch and Killbreaks devastating new stories about the rampant abuse of power and sheds far-reaching light on investigations that shook our culture. - Little Brown and Company
Rating (out of 5): 5
Trigger Warnings: rape, sexual assault, powerful men abusing that power, evil corporations
Review:
This book has it all — Israeli spies, powerful men, corrupt institutions, cute dogs, and harassment of the worst kind. “Catch and Kill” is, in my mind, a triumph of non-fiction, even though it reads like a spy thriller at times. In this work, Ronan Farrow takes us through the behind-the-scenes of his reporting on Harvey Weinstein’s myriad abuse against women, first at NBC and then later at “The New Yorker.” For those that are unaware (like I was before I read this book), a “catch-and-kill” is the practice of a news organization purchasing a story only to quash it; the National Enquirer is well-known for this practice.
In this work, Ronan paints a clear picture of how Harvey Weinstein and other powerful men are able to get away with abhorrent and illegal behavior — the systemic biases and the structural power imbalances. While we knew Harvey was evil, other people do emerge as villains here: the NBC News leadership, many lawyers (including one that made me gasp with her “I am his people” revelation), and pretty much every one in leadership at AMI.*
This book was well-researched, well-written, well-sourced, and impeccably fact-checked — so I feel confident in saying “OMFG I cannot believe things like this happen in the real world.” There are really two stories here: one about Ronan’s personal experience in investigating this story (and all that entailed), and the other about understanding the forces in place that allowed stories like this to be swept under the rug. The enablers, the influential people, and the unethical behavior that is pervasive among a certain set of people are a core part of this story; Ronan does a great job at breaking down these in a way that doesn’t overshadow the story of Harvey Weinstein.
Re: his reporting on Harvey, we are given an intimate view into everything that Harvey did to quash this story: hiring private investigators from Israel to intimidate victims, reporters, and their loved ones; leaning on powerful friends to keep Ronan quiet; ultimately, getting Ronan pushed out at NBC over this story. Ronan does also go into the history of attempts to report this story, and it is clear that Harvey had been doing this with great success for 30 years.
One of the things that I was not aware of in its entirety was how rotten it was at NBC. The men in charge there were more complicit than I imagined— it makes you feel like all men in power of that generation are just terrible human beings and we should get rid of them. I know that’s not reasonable, but at this moment, I’m feeling very “burn it all down” about it all. I want all of these men to get their comeuppance, and I want it to be humiliating than what they did to the women they systematically assaulted, humiliated, and blacklisted. Is that too much? (Note: it appears to be happening to Matt Lauer, and for that, I say bravo, Ann Curry!)
Even though this book is largely about powerfully corrupt men, it is still hopeful and at times funny. Ronan’s initial story on Harvey Weinstein was one of the first big steps in creating the movement we now call #MeToo. His book, while at times hard to read, shines a light on survivors and those that were brave enough to come forward and share their stories — he also deeply respects his sources, which is a lovely show of humanity in the midst of a dark topic. In addition, as a longtime friend of the Pod, I would be remiss in not mentioning I loved the cameos by Jon Lovett (and Pundit!), and I appreciate the insight we were given into their lives.
I know it appears like we have read a lot about this particular topic this month (and tbh, sorry not sorry), but I think that all of them are essential in different ways: “Know My Name” is about a woman reclaiming her life and her identity after sexual assault, “She Said” concentrates on the victims’ stories in the nascent #MeToo era, and “Catch and Kill,” in my opinion, goes deeper into the otherwise of it all — the coverup, the corporate intimidation, and what these men were willing to do to save themselves. If I told you to only read one, I would be shortchanging them all. So, read them all, and just make sure to have some light, palate-cleansing reads in between.
TL;DR: A thrilling and true account of the reporting that went into bringing down Harvey Weinstein and all that followed in the #MeToo era. This one reads like a thriller, and even though this subject matter is hard, it is fun to read. Ronan Farrow is an incredible talent, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.*
If you liked this, try these:
“She Said” by Jody Kantor and Megan Twohey (Shannon’s review here!)
Ronan’s archives at “The New Yorker”
*It does make me pleased that Ronan is turning his attention toward the relationship between our current President and the National Enquirer. Ready for those revelations to come to a reckoning.
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