Michael Schulman’s Favorite Books about Hollywood’s Light Side and Dark Side

Graydon Carter described it best: "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."

What Makes Sammy Run?

Budd Schulberg’s 1941 novel traces the rise of Sammy Glick, a relentless climber who claws his way from junior screenwriter to studio kingpin. It’s a pitiless look at the lust for power in Hollywood.

Easy Riders Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-And Rock 'n Roll Generation Saved Hollywood

Peter Biskind’s rollicking 1998 classic tracks the rise and fall of the New Hollywood revolution from the late 60s through the 70s, with a rambunctious cast of characters including Coppola, Scorsese, Lucas, and Spielberg. Juicy and invigorating.

Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood

Mark Harris’s 2008 book brilliantly deconstructs the Best Picture race of 1968, telling a story of countercultural upheaval through the making of five films: Bonnie and Clyde, In the Heat of the Night, Doctor Doolittle, The Graduate, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman

Of all the making-of-a-movie chronicles, Sam Wasson’s slim 2010 book about Breakfast at Tiffany’s is my favorite. It takes a nostalgic look back on a glamorous era while capturing the charm and style of the movie itself.

Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood

If you love true crime, William J. Mann delivers in this 2014 book about the notorious 1922 murder of the silent-era director William Desmond Taylor. It reads like a murder-mystery novel while providing insightful background on the era.

Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood

Maureen Ryan’s book about Hollywood in the #MeToo age, which came out last year, is fueled by deep reporting and righteous anger. Ryan is unsparing about the abuses that the industry has tolerated for too long yet clear-eyed about the way forward.