A review by justabean_reads
Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood by Maureen Ryan

dark informative medium-paced

4.0

Pretty much does what it says on the tin: a look at all the ways Hollywood is fucking up, mostly in terms of in-house culture that allows and/or promotes abuse, with a side order of enabling bigotry. If you've been following industry news even a little bit, the general topic this covers won't be news, but I did find the specifics well laid out. It's clearly written, with humour insight, and a lot of personal experience.

The last several chapters are about potential solutions, often highlighting set and organisational cultures that actually do work, and hard selling them as more financially viable in the long run. I have somewhat mixed feelings: the solutions seem reasonable, and achievable, but it's difficult to see who has both the power and the interest to push for them. Though Ryan 100% called all the labour action happening this year, so maybe that's part of the answer.