A heartbreaking book about the horrors of what goes on behind the scenes of numerous workplaces.
More than 16 million people had posted their #MeToo story and support against sexual harassment by mid-October as a reaction to Rose McGowan’s brave admission that she had allegedly been raped by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. A groundswell of reaction to and exposure of this sexual predation was unleashed that has spread throughout Europe and beyond. New revelations of unacceptable behavior in every industry break every day as people come forward in response to the viral #MeToo posts. Protests are scheduled such as the “Take back the Workplace” Hollywood march in November of 2017, and legislation is being drafted in New York and California to finally change the way things have been for far too long.

Well it is personal essays on people's own experiences so hard to be critical but I did find some of the essays insights, some sad, and overall got the feeling that everyone has a story of me too, how each handles it is unique!

This was a tough read but it was really good. I enjoyed hearing these stories and they made me feel really emotional.

#MeToo by Lori Perkins is amazing collection, that shows many of the difficulties and disappointments of the Me Too Movement. This book contains, above all else, variety and meaning. There is a call to action and truth. Me Too includes talk about the systematic issues and how to change, writers share stories. There is even a poem. #MeToo is an enjoyable read with a varied stance that makes it particularly poignant. I received this book for free from Net Galley in exchange for my feedback.

Not unproblematic in parts (mostly due to intersectional concerns) but overall a solid collection giving readers an active grounding in the MeToo movement

#MeToo gives many women and men the opportunity to come forward with what they have experienced with regard to sexual assault, sexual harassment, and rape. This is an important book as it shines a light on just how much these things happen to many different people today and in recent years.

This book took me a while to get through as the subject matter was more profound than a typical read. While some essays were easier to read than others, all of these stories deserved to be shared and I'm thankful I got a chance to read them and learn something. Lets keep this cultural shift going.

Copy provided by Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.
5 stars. All the stars.
This is a must read for everyone. Regardless of gender,sex,sexuality,political beliefs etc. This is a story of assault,a story of survivors and their story must be hear around the world.

#MeToo #NetGalley

I liked some of the essays which offered another POV on the #metoo movement which is rarely discussed.

There are essays discussing HW, but also the corporate culture, history of Hollywood which offer perspective which I found interesting.

Other essays were more #metoo testimonial. Some connected with me and others felt repetitive. Let me stop a second and say that this is not a critical comment in the writers if their experience. It's real and honest and I do appreciate it. What I am commenting on is the editor selecting so many of these types of essays.

"I was only..." and "Protecting men" were two stand outs among many other thoughtful essays.

As an essay book is normal to had someones better that the others and, even when the topic is so important, some essays had flaws. Good to review the importance of the movement now that is sometimes questioned sometimes missinterpreted

So powerful and timely in today's society. Perkins edits a brilliant collection of essays from a variety of writers regarding the #MeToo movement -- writers from many walks of life offer their viewpoint, experiences, opinions, and concerns for our society and the movement itself. The essays are poignant and brutally honest while at the same time remaining hopeful. A moving read all should pick up.

#MeToo is a book filled with essays of stories. Every story in this is heartbreaking. I was hoping that these stories were going to be about how the #MeToo affected people. This book was raw, told by these victims, personal journeys and experiences are not hiding anything, which is very important. But be warmed when reading this that it's will hurt your heart, made you sad and very upset, to know what these writers and more have gone throught. This book is matter and is importatn but I do wish that it was also about of the #MeToo affected the wrold and people.

#MeToo:Essays About How and Why This Happened, What It Means and How To Make Sure It Never Happens Again.
by Lori Perkins
2017
Riverdale Avenue Books
4.5 / 5

It's 2019. It's hard to believe #MeToo, a hashtag/movement named 10 years ago by Tamara Burke, is today even necessary. In fact, now more than ever, it is more than necessary.
It is essential.
We came so close to being a nation of people, working towards inclusion.
We came so close to being a nation, one of the only nations, whose pride was in our diversity-our ability to see beyond ourselves.
We came so close to being people with enough respect for each other, to give others, different from you, the same rights the entitled have always had and claimed.
We came so close to being enlightened enough as human beings, to instill an environment of people helping people,simply because we all have to live here together.
We came so close to being a nation known for our diversity, pride, respect and inclusion. Not just of ourselves, but of all people and nationalities.......
.....just to be pulled back into an environment we worked so hard to almost get beyond. The environment of fear. An environment where women, people not white, children of immigrants are treated as less, not equal. An environment that covers each other, because "boys will be boys". An environment where the phrase "Do you drink beer?" are actual responses to accusations of sexual misconduct. We are back to the "good old days", when "boys were boys" and its all just "locker room talk" anyway.
Its 2019, people. How can we explain the importance of personal dignity and respect, responsibility and not being a silent witness without #MeToo? We can not any more.
This book of essays was incredible, looking at the issue from all sides. It opened my eyes to the scope of the problem. How prevalent and ok we have become living in a subservient and subversive world. Ignoring, not supporting.
#MeToo is one of the most positive thing to come from all this. It needed to happen. Because as long as people need to be reminded that they are not entitled and its not ok to take something that is not freely given, we need movements like this. We need a reminder. Essays by Kata Mara (Silence=Violence); Jesse Berdinka's 'The Bully Culture
of Weinstein'; Paul M. Sammons male perspective on the Weinstein atmosphere and A.M. Carey's amazing history of the movement ....Poems by Liz DeBetta and Sherri Donovan... These are just a few of the many essays and stories included in this book. Each and every essay and story is a reminder of how much further we need to go to again start to win the fight of injustice and discrimination.
Please read this book, it will bring the issues so clear. Educate not hate.
We came so close.....with #MeToo it's possible again.

This a wonderful essay collection about the political movement that rose to mainstream awareness in 2017-2018 but had been striving away almost underground. This book contains essays from a wide range of inspiring women from an array of backgrounds. Its also a good book to dip in and out of an essay at a time.

I enjoyed this book a lot! It gave some great perspectives about the #MeToo movement. Though I didn't agree with all of the opinions in this book, it did provide some interesting perspectives about how sexual harassment and assault have plagued Hollywood and American society for years.

The publisher, Riverdale Avenue Books, kindly agreed to send me a review copy through netgalley, however, you can download the e-book for free from a number of platforms, including the publisher's own website http://riverdaleavebooks.com/books/5358/metoo-essays-about-how-and-why-this-happened-what-it-means-and-how-to-make-sure-it-never-happens and amazon. And I really think you should, as this is a great collection of essays on a staggering array of topics related to the #MeToo movement including, but not limited to, the Weinstein scandal that was the trigger for #MeToo.

One would expect the emphasis of the book to be on the sexual abuse of women in the film industry, and indeed there are essays that cover this topic, however, the book has a much broader aim: to discuss the diverse experiences of women (and men) in a culture of bullying and patriarchy that perpetuates and rewards certain behaviours at the expense of others. Thus, we have a wonderful essay by Jesse Berdinga discussing the reasons why the unacceptable bullying of the Weinstein brothers was not challenged by those at the receiving end of it, men or women.

"Even in those days at the height of their power, even with all the rewards and fame and influence, Harvey and Bob never saw themselves as Holywood. They were always two kids from Queens fighting and besting a system that didn't think they were good enough to let in. And that 'chip on the shoulder' attitude permeated all the way down the chain, through people like me, and all the way to the interns."

The book covers a number of other topics, some of them taboo, or largely ignored (such as for instance, the abuse of men and women by other women in the industry). Not all of it is about abuse, though. In another wonderful essay, Veronica Vera, artist, author and sex rights activist, describes her early experiences working for, and dating, a Wall Street trader. Vera is very honest about this affair: she was not exactly bullied into it, and she enjoyed both the sex and the rewards. But she's also perceptive enough to realise that it was sexual harassment:

" What I wasn't, was a feminist. A part of my job was to go out for drinks with business prospects, sometimes in a group with Sherman, sometimes on my own. There was no sex involved, although some of the men lived in hope. My job was to make the fellow feel special just by spending time with him, no matter how boring he was.

There was an entire revolution taking place, and I didn't notice. If I had, I might have understood that my situation at work was sexual harrassment, but the term had yet to be coined. It would be some time before the idea trickled down to Wall Street: a very macho place."

There are essays about the pervasive culture of raping and abusing very young women, and what these women then have to go through to 'protect' members of their household from the shame. In #MeToo: Protecting Men From Themselves Kate Mara makes a wonderful point about women not only having to deal with the trauma of rape but being expected to shut up about it lest they put in danger the very people that should have protected them in the first place:

"When my uncle tried to rape me (I got away) when I was 12, I told my mother (his sister), just like I was supposed to. She warned me not to tell my father, because he'd kill my uncle. She was right, he would have. But then I had to protect both myself and also my father, who would get himself in trouble if he knew.

And a bit further on:

We protect them because we can't trust them to be in control of themselves if we tell them. We can't trust them to center our needs over their own desire for violent retribution.

Lori Perkins is to be commended for commissioning and editing such a broad range of viewpoints on the #MeToo experience in such a short time after the movement erupted. I think all the essays in the collection give expression to a distinct aspect of the overall experience of living under patriarchy. I heartily recommend it to everyone who would like to read about and reflect on these matters.

First, I want to thank Perkins, Riverdale Avenue Books and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

#Me Too Essays about How and Why This Happens, What it means, and How to Make Sure it Never Happens Again edited by Lori Perkins cover of the book got my attention right away. It is incredibly powerful with three arms up different ethnicity showing that they stand together as one. This book is filled with incredible stories from incredible strong woman who are passionate about their fight in the #MeToo and #IBelieve Movement!! I stand beside them 10000%

I knew I had to read this book. I have read many memoirs on woman who were sexually abused this year. I commend those women for coming forward and sharing their stories. They are helping those who have been in similar situations seek help. I confess that I have had many #Me Too moments in my life. For me it makes me sad and angry the men that gets away with it.

#Me Too is dedicated to Anita Hill, Tarana Burke, Rose McGowan, all the woman that have bravely come forward, all those who won’t be silenced, and to the next generation who will not let this happen to them.

This book starts off with Lori Perkins reminiscing about how she had a totally out of place sexual behavior in the workplace. She was a publisher of the local newspaper in Upper Manhattan. Out of the blue a middle-aged local New York City politician asked if she would be his mistress!! Of course, she was shocked!! I would be too!

Lori put this book for everyone to tell their stories. She is hoping that this shows the beginning of this particular phase of this movement one that can be read and passed around as a reference when people look back on this time. These essays range from personal tales and reflection to cause for action and insider stories about abuse in Hollywood.

After #MeToo by A M Carley’s essay really spoke to me. AM brought up a great point in someone that sounded a lot like the famous Hugh. I never thought of him as a predator but now I do.
Wall Street Assets by Veronica Vera, D.H. S (Excerpt from her Memoir in progress) shouldn’t have shocked me seeing the subject matter. However, it did. Veronica’s first job was in 1969 in the back office. She worked with a short, loud-mouthed Napoleon that was the head trader for the company. He had a dirty mouth while he was on the phone. So, he asked her for her name in which she replied. Then he asked if she liked his material as he unzipped his fly!! There was a reason the called him “Crazy Sherman.”

This book is a must read for every female out there young and old!! This must be passed out in school libraries, counseling offices, workplaces, crisis centers, etc. Students need to be taught about this in health class in Middle or High School. This is a serious topic!! This is not going to go away anytime soon!! We need to come together and fight it!! #METOO #IBELIEVE

This was a very quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed the different essays, poems, or personal testimonies. Lori Perkins makes a profound statement by saying in her introduction that "We are not a mob. We are a movement." She explained how #MeToo went global with hashtags like #YoTambien in Spanish and #BalanceTonPorc in French. Even Patricia Douglas, the first whistle-blower on the sexual abuse in Hollywood, is covered. In these essays, you hear from Jessica Berdinka who worked for the Weinstein Brothers and Paul M. Sammon who works in the industry and discusses casting couches. You even get to hear about sexual assault or harassment in the work place and how it is handled in HR. This book of essays was empowering and heart-breaking. Definitely something people should read if they need the motivation to get up and change what is happening around them.

This book was given to me for free by Riverdale Avenue Books though NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is such an amazing book! Particularly poignant as I read it following Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the US Supreme Court. It will upset you, make you angry, but most of all it will make you want to stand up and fight against this misogyny.

Incredibly relevant, powerful, and timely. Absolutely required and essential reading for understanding, empathy, and forging a better path forwards.