It’s been nearly two years since the the New York Times exposé on Harvey Weinstein ignited the #MeToo movement, and details surrounding the sexual assault allegations against the disgraced producer are still unfolding.
She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement, a new book by two of the New York Times reporters who helped break the story back in October 2017, features a number of previously unknown sources and figures in the Weinstein case. The book by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, out Tuesday with Penguin Press, reveals new information on the extent of Weinstein’s crimes and coverups, as well as important sources and accusers who helped reporters break the story.
Rowena Chiu, a Weinstein accuser who dodged the press for nearly two decades after receiving a settlement in 1998, comes forward for the first time in the book, sharing details about the nondisclosure agreement that kept her silent after Weinstein allegedly assaulted her in a hotel room. The book also reveals that Weinstein’s brother, Bob Weinstein, was aware of the former producer’s misconduct and pleaded with him to seek help.
“You have brought shame to the family and your company through your misbehavior,” Bob Weinstein wrote in a previously unreported letter included in the new book. “Your reaction was once more to blame the victims, or to minimize the misbehavior in various ways.”
She Said also sheds light on those who were working to protect Weinstein before the story broke, including victims’ rights attorney Lisa Bloom, who reportedly offered to help discredit Weinstein’s accusers by damaging their reputations. “I feel equipped to help you against the Roses of the world, because I have represented so many of them,” Bloom wrote of accuser Rose McGowan in a private memo to Weinstein in December 2016.
The book is one in a wave of recent and forthcoming titles that grew out of #MeToo reporting, including a new book by journalist Abigail Pesta exploring the investigation into Larry Nassar’s abuse of young gymnasts, and a book by Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown about Jeffrey Epstein.
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