"On Oscar night, the true intrigues, hysterics and heartbreaks aren’t just in the films being honored, but in the behind the scenes jockeying for the awards. Schulman has the perfect eye and ear for the telling and entertaining dramas and light comedies leading up to Oscar victory." — Graydon Carter, former editor in chief of Vanity Fair and founder of Air Mail
"Michael Schulman’s book about the Oscars is just delicious—fast-paced and fun but also a serious, well-reported piece of cultural history. With wit and an impeccable sense of timing, Schulman appreciates the glamour without sugar-coating the grit. Entertaining and informative, the book provides welcome escapism without guilt." — Julie Salamon, author of The Devil’s Candy
“A spirited, occasionally dishy history of the [Oscars], touching on the award's most notable controversies and existential questions." — New York Times
“Educational and gleefully gossipy, this industry tell-all is a wildly entertaining ride.” — Buzzfeed
“Richly entertaining, deeply researched . . . written with a reporter’s rigor and a breezy prose style. . . . This is one of the best recent books about the film business. It is surely the best book about Hollywood’s biggest night.” — Wall Street Journal
“This thorough, fascinating history of the Academy Awards captures the brutal battles, rivalries and behind-the-scenes dramas from the organization's inception to the slap heard around the world.” — USA Today
"I devoured this book! Even for a pop culture obsessive like myself, it floored me in terms of how much I didn’t know about the history of Hollywood and the Academy Awards. The patterns it finds across the decades is surprising and delightful. Equally insightful and dishy, it is a must read for anyone interested in the shocking, absurd, thrilling and fascinating inner workings of the Hollywood machine." — Billy Eichner, comedian
“More than a mere journey through Academy Awards history, this book is a trip through Hollywood’s power struggles.” — Washington Post
"In an era of Hollywood upheaval, Michael Schulman turns out to be the perfect host for the Oscars. Deeply sourced, insightful and wildly entertaining, Oscar Wars traces the history of Hollywood’s biggest night from the demise of silent films through the camp debacle of Snow White, the Miramax insurgency and the pandemonium of 'the slap.' At once clear-eyed and dishy, this is the ideal resource for anyone who has always wanted to sneak backstage." — Emily Nussbaum, author of I Like to Watch
“Schulman provides just what we need as the same old love-hate drama plays out yet again for Oscar fans and shunners alike: a rich array of unflattering but spellbinding stories about the feuds and failures of judgment that the Academy has thus far managed to weather. . . . A sparkling compendium of show-business anecdotes as well-researched as they are dishy.” — Atlantic
“In an exhaustively detailed history oriented around a dozen or so pivotal ceremonies, [Schulman’s] astute analyses reveal these glam-a-paloozas to be telling case studies integral to understanding the past and gaining perspective on the present . . . . With his slew of colorful mini-biographies and juicy Tinseltown anecdotes, Schulman poses a sharp retort to the nagging question of why we bother keeping the Oscars around. Who in their right mind would want to give them up?” — Guardian
“…[told] with acuity and fitting brio…. Oscar Wars is, among other things, a study of American moviemaking …. a combat narrative, laced with tales of valor and defeat, conquest and submission….” — The Nation
“Thorough research with an eye for drama in this highly entertaining history of the Academy Awards. . . . The behind-the-scenes perspectives don’t skimp on juicy trivia while the connections Schulman draws to larger societal issues illustrate the power and limitations of cinema to reflect and drive change. This will thrill cinephiles.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Rich, deeply reported. . . . This Oscars history mixes all the expected glitz and glamour with enough industry intrigue to power an award-winning drama.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Even before the infamous Will Smith / Chris Rock debacle, the Academy Awards was littered with controversies—the smaller and pettier, the better. Instead of a comprehensive, year-by-year history, Schulman cherry-picks the juiciest battles, such as the Best Actress race in 1950 or the Best Picture battle in 1999, between Saving Private Ryan and Shakespeare in Love . It’s a shrewd choice, and the book is a fine vehicle for Schulman’s considerable talents. Each chapter is told with narrative flair and grounded in excellent reporting. Hard to put down.” — Esquire
“Michael Shulman is one of the great profile-writers of our time, and one of our best writers, period . . . What Schulman, a student of personality, could accomplish in a study of the Oscars—that most official of personality contests—is limitless. It’s also just a perfect opportunity to spill so much celebrity gossip. I imagine devouring this book poolside, while sipping on a blue drink; a big umbrella overhead, a little umbrella in my glass.” — The Millions
"This lively, gossip-rich account is ideal reading for cineastes." — Library Journal (starred review)
“[A] unique talent for capturing Hollywood madness…you’re sure to find something of intrigue in Schulman’s comprehensive volume on that glittering, golden show, birthplace of the Moonlight fiasco and the slap heard ’round the world.” — Elle
“…just in time for awards-show junkies to inject this delicious (and meticulously researched) bitchery straight into their veins.” — Entertainment Weekly
"Endlessly fascinating . . . . the highly detailed stories function like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, each revealing part of the bigger picture. The author . . . clearly knows his subject, and his enthusiasm is thoroughly contagious. — Booklist
"And the award for most entertaining read goes to . . . the glitz, glamour, and drama that make up this extensive history of one of Hollywood’s biggest nights . . . . Whether you religiously see all the nominated films year after year or are looking for a fun book to give to your pop culture obsessed bestie, you’re gonna wanna hit pre-order on this star-worthy read stat." — The Skimm
"Who’s not fascinated with the Academy Awards and all the glamour attached to them—the red carpet, extravagant gowns, glittering jewels, debonair stars and sweet speeches? . . . Schulman . . . goes behind the pomp in Oscar Wars to reveal the real stories behind the scenes, from cultural battles to industry intrigue. His insights and firsthand accounts make for fun reading." — Parade
". . . extraordinary and comprehensive . . . . . unlike any other Oscar history in print, rich with history, rife with insider stories, written with the kind of informal, confidential eloquence that has become a hallmark of [Schulman's] style. — Metro Weekly
“Few have written more compellingly about the ego, campiness, politics, and intrigue of the Academy Awards than Michael Schulman . . . . filled with Schulman’s painstaking research and in-depth reporting….an exhilarating read for everyone from film critics to fans.” — Los Angeles Blade
"A sweeping chronicle of the past that also helps us put every future Oscar telecast into glorious if snarky perspective.” — USA Today
★ 12/19/2022
Schulman (Her Again ), a staff writer at the New Yorker , combines thorough research with an eye for drama in this highly entertaining history of the Academy Awards. Highlighting eras and awards races that speak to “larger stories of cultural change,” Schulman starts with the founding of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927 by MGM cofounder Louis B. Mayer, who wanted it to offset unionizing. The first awards followed in 1929, but by the mid-1930s, unions and guilds were pushing back against the Academy’s role in arbitrating labor disputes, leading it to pivot and focus solely on giving awards. Schulman covers Citizen Kane ’s “notorious” defeat at the Oscars in 1942 (suggesting director Orson Welles’s auteurism threatened the Hollywood “assembly line”), screenwriter Dalton Trumbo’s campaign during McCarthyism to undermine the blacklist by winning Oscars (he nabbed one in 1957 under a pseudonym), and calls in the 1960s to diversify Academy voters and bring in a younger perspective. Delving into recent controversies, the author details #OscarsSoWhite protests in 2016 and offers a backstage account of how the following year’s “Envelopegate” unfolded. The behind-the-scenes perspectives don’t skimp on juicy trivia while the connections Schulman draws to larger societal issues illustrate the power and limitations of cinema to reflect and drive change. This will thrill cinephiles. (Feb.)
Fast-paced and fun but also a serious, well-reported piece of cultural history…Schulman appreciates the glamour without sugar-coating the grit. Entertaining and informative, the book provides welcome escapism without guilt.”
author of The Devil’s Candy Julie Salamon
Equally insightful and dishy, it is a must read for anyone interested in the shocking, absurd, thrilling, and fascinating inner workings of the Hollywood machine.”
At once clear-eyed and dishy, this is the ideal resource for anyone who has always wanted to sneak backstage.”
author of I Like to Watch Emily Nussbaum
★ 12/01/2022
Controversy has plagued the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and its Oscar ceremonies for since its inception in 1929, which Schulman (Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep ) shares in this entertaining history of America's oldest major entertainment award. Labor disputes nearly killed the Academy at its birth. Blacklisting was an embarrassment, especially when blacklisted writers won Oscars under assumed names. Award rivalries created bad blood between sisters Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine. An independent accounting firm was first brought in to maintain ballot integrity after Bette Davis's Of Human Bondage performance became the industry's first Oscar snub; Warner Brothers wasn't going to allow her to be rewarded for her freelance work at rival RKO. Schulman also examines the Academy's slowness in recognizing change in the 1960s and '70s and devotes a long chapter to the slighting of artists of color. But it's the gossip readers will remember most: the disastrous opening of the 1989 awards ceremonies, with its older stars—Alice Faye, Dorothy Lamour, etc.—moved across stage like mummies; the wrong name read for best picture in 2016; and Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. VERDICT This lively, gossip-rich account is ideal reading for cineastes. —David Keymer
★ 2022-12-14
Regardless of your interest in Hollywood and awards season, this rich, deeply reported history has plenty to teach. New Yorker writer Schulman, author of Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep , looks at the awards through a variety of lenses, including artistic, business, political, and cultural. “The Oscars are a battlefield where cultural forces collide and where the victors aren’t always as clear as the names drawn from the envelopes,” he writes. The author illuminates these battles with compelling insider stories. His explanation of 1989’s “Worst Oscars Ever”—infamous for the raucous opening featuring Snow White and Rob Lowe—reveals the micromanaging influence of producer Allan Carr. Schulman also demonstrates Carr’s influence on other parts of the ceremony that continue today—e.g., announcing winners with “And the Oscar goes to…” and creating a fashion event where designers battle to get starlets to wear their gowns. The author shines brightest in his firsthand accounts. His coverage of the entire #OscarsSoWhite controversy, and changes that came with it, focuses on Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs and her decision-making. His reporting on the Moonlight /La La Land best picture mix-up definitively explains the hand movements that caused an accountant to give presenter Warren Beatty the envelope for best actress by mistake. Even when he seems like he’s gone too far, such as titling the chapter on Black Oscar winners “Tokens,” Schulman’s incisive reporting backs up his hypothesis. “For McDaniel, for Poitier, for Berry, the Oscar came to symbolize not progress but false promise—a chance for Hollywood to congratulate itself and then go back to business as usual while the winner was left isolated and open to public attack,” he explains. And yes, Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock makes it into the book but only in the afterword.
This Oscars history mixes all the expected glitz and glamour with enough industry intrigue to power an award-winning drama.
