This is not a book I recommend reading at once, as each chapter is a slim volume in itself. But every word is engaging and edifying and it's written with great humor (and pathos). I liked the conceit of the organization, but my only criticism would be the shoehorned epilogue -- it ended too abruptly, and undercut the sweep of the rest of the book.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

I love history, and I love gossip so this book was right up my alley. I read this book everyday on my lunch break, and I did not want to put it down. Some of the stories are well known such as the feud between sisters Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine, but their stories were engaging none the less especially as the author found a way to weave it into the history of the Academy Awards. There were enough inside stories and gossip, a lot of which I had never heard before, to keep me turning the page.

Loved the structure of this book! Michael Schulman picks 12 of the most important Oscar races from 92 years and is able to tell a scandalous but well researched history of the strange pageant we call the Academy Awards.

For many years, I was *obsessed* with the Oscars and everything surrounding them. While that's died down a bit, I was really excited to read this book. I thought the way Schulman structured it, focusing on important years or time periods rather than trying to give a complete history of the Academy and the Oscars from their creation to now, was really smart. There were some things here that will be familiar to Oscar fans - there's not much new in the chapter about Harvey Weinstein's escalation of advertising and spending and the battle between Shakespeare in Love and Saving Private Ryan, for example. But there's still plenty hear to engage even die-hards. I found the chapter on the blacklist years and their impact on screenwriting awards especially fascinating, and I loved the chapter that connected Hattie McDaniel, Sidney Poitier, and Halle Berry. I would definitely recommend this to any movie fan!

Oscar Wars comes out on February 21, 2023. Harper Collins provided an early galley for review.

I have always been fascinated by Hollywood, by actors and by the movies. Growing up, I remember flipping through the entertainment magazines that my grandmother would occasionally buy - just to look at the pictures of the stars all dressed in glamour for premieres and such. So, a book like this one was very appealing to me. Also, the cover reminded me a bit of the artwork in movie parodies that ran in Mad Magazine, something I read a lot growing up. I enjoyed those movie parodies even though I might not have actually seen what they were satirizing.

Schulman has done his research when it comes to this book. He covers the nine decades of the Academy Awards, from the way the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences first came together all the way up to most recent times. It is told in a chronological manner, and it highlights some of the biggest films that were nominated, often pitted against one another, and how the battles played out. The stories are filled with the names of those who are legendary in the Hollywood story - actors and actresses, writers, directors, producers and studio executives. This one is a cavalcade of who's who in the entertainment industry.

There were a number of fascinating stories that I got out of this one. I enjoyed the parallels from the two 1950 films Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve. I am always interested to hear about the HUAC actions of the 1950's and how individuals got around being blacklisted. I was intrigued with how Candace Bergen brought about change in the demographics of the Academy in the early 1970's.

I very much recommend this for movie fans.

Oscar Wars is a fascinating deep dive into the Oscars such as key rivalries between films in a category, major wins and losses, unforgettable dramas, and some never discussed before. Fans of pop culture, Hollywood history, and the Oscars will be thrilled to check out Oscar Wars. The text is engaging and written in a juicy way. Highly recommended!

This is not a year-by-year chronicle of who won what award; rather, Schulman chronicles key Oscar races/winners/loses from a specific year for each decade, such Citizen Kane's many losses, the long years between Hattie McDaniel and Halle Berry winning an Oscar, Miramax vs. Dreamworks in the Saving Private Ryan vs. Shakespeare in Love, and the infamous La La Land and Moonlight Best Picture mixup, which seemed to be the most scandalous event to happen during the ceremony, until 2022's Slap Heard Round the World.

This is rich, engaging, and has a refined gossipy tone, Catnip for Hollywood history buffs and Oscar watchers!

Many thanks to Harper and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.