Oscar Wars

A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears

By: Michael Schulman

Narrated by: Charlie Thurston

The author of the New York Times bestseller Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep returns with a lively history of the Academy Awards, focusing on the brutal battles, the starry rivalries, and the colorful behind-the-scenes drama.

America does not have royalty. It has the Academy Awards. For nine decades, perfectly coiffed starlets, debonair leading men, and producers with gold in their eyes have chased the elusive Oscar. What began as an industry banquet in 1929 has now exploded into a hallowed ceremony, complete with red carpets, envelopes, and little gold men. But don’t be fooled by the pomp: the Oscars, more than anything, are a battlefield, where the history of Hollywood—and of America itself—unfolds in dramas large and small. The road to the Oscars may be golden, but it’s paved in blood, sweat, and broken hearts.

In Oscar Wars, Michael Schulman chronicles the remarkable, sprawling history of the Academy Awards and the personal dramas—some iconic, others never-before-revealed—that have played out on the stage and off camera. Unlike other books on the subject, each chapter takes a deep dive into a particular year, conflict, or even category that tells a larger story of cultural change, from Louis B. Mayer to Moonlight. Schulman examines how the red carpet runs through contested turf, and the victors aren't always as clear as the names drawn from envelopes. Caught in the crossfire are people: their thwarted ambitions, their artistic epiphanies, their messy collaborations, their dreams fulfilled or dashed.

Featuring a star-studded cast of some of the most powerful Hollywood players of today and yesterday, as well as outsiders who stormed the palace gates, this captivating history is a collection of revelatory tales, each representing a turning point for the Academy, for the movies, or for the culture at large.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Great Fun!

This is a nice history of Hollywood and how it reflects American culture back to the audience. Interesting way of organizing it around several pivotal years of Oscar history. Lots of infighting and drama, but, hey, if you’re looking at a book with a title like this, that’s likely what you came for. Not a lot of new info (although I was new to the Hattie McDaniel info), but it’s nice to hear things put together in a timeline that flows like this.

Fascinating and wonderful

Absolutely wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of the Academy and all the petty and absurdly strange feuds. I found myself stopping the book to go watch the movies that I had previously not watched. Such a great book. Only critiqué would be that the book ended kind of abruptly. Would’ve liked more of an editorial about the system itself. But still a fantastic book.

Intrigued and bewildered!

A lovely panache of Hollywood glitz, glamour and infamy. Like a first hand spectator to the glorious of the Oscars, the author just brought me there. What a great storytelling!

Great research

This book is a very well-researched and narrated history of the Oscars. Highly recommend for Oscar buffs and those interested in Old Hollywood.

Fasten Your Seatbelts

Such a fun listen overall. There are some narrative concepts that don’t translate well into audio format (such as when multiple films or actor experiences are cycled through — a bit jarring). But the information and Schulman’s style are so fun, a nice balance of the serious and the salacious.