Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears

Michael Schulman, author of the New York Times bestseller Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep, presents a history of the Academy Awards spanning nine decades. The book examines the personal dramas, rivalries, and behind-the-scenes conflicts that have shaped the Oscars from their origins as an industry banquet in 1929 to the present day. Each chapter focuses on a particular year, conflict, or category to reveal larger stories of cultural change. Schulman explores how the Academy Awards have reflected shifts in Hollywood and American culture, from the era of Louis B. Mayer through the selection of Moonlight as Best Picture. The book covers topics including the Hollywood Blacklist and writers who won Oscars while banned from the industry, major Best Picture campaigns such as Shakespeare in Love versus Saving Private Ryan, the racial reckoning that led to the #OscarsSoWhite movement, and the Harvey Weinstein scandal. The narrative features accounts of power players, thwarted ambitions, and personal dramas involving both major Hollywood figures and outsiders who challenged the establishment. Schulman draws on extensive research to uncover previously unrevealed stories alongside iconic moments in Academy Awards history.