Women vs Hollywood

Helen O'Hara exposes Hollywood's dirty secrets and double standards in a fascinating-slash-infuriating story of the women who wanted to make movies and the men who held them back. This is the film history we need: one that gives leading roles to people who usually only get to be background players

The book is so well-written and researched - a fantastic read that beautifully celebrates women in Hollywood

A must read

Essential reading for all serious film fans

The stories of these pioneering women directors are well-researched and enthusiastically told here through archives, scholarship, and where possible, interviews with the women whose experiences are at the heart of this book . . . Women vs Hollywood is a great introduction to the fight women have on their hands if they want to work in the movies

Women have long been pushed to one side in Hollywood. This essential book puts them back where they belong: firmly in the spotlight. A celebration of their triumphs and clear-eyed recounting of their travails, it's an incisive, eye-opening and riveting read. More than that, it'll leave you itching with indignation and wanting to see a change to the status quo. A vital call to arms for a fairer, brighter future

Women Vs Hollywood is a powerful, sobering and vital work. Essential reading for anyone interested in the film business

Women vs Hollywood is fascinating and righteous. The research is incredible, as is the storytelling. It'll be a game changer for how the history of women in film is considered and told. The history is rich and deep and robust, but O'Hara also has such a precise point of view. An incredible piece of work that is as inspiring as it is informative

A page-turning read, peppered with humour

This call to arms puts the spotlight back where it belongs: on the women who helped make Hollywood

A fascinating polemic

I will be quoting this liberally on Girls On Film - it's an enlightening page-turner, stacked with stories and stats that will have your jaw on the floor. Thanks to O'Hara's thorough research and sparkling writing, it works as an engaging alternative history of Hollywood as well as an important feminist film text and a call to action. I'd recommend it to any open-minded film lover, whether or not they identify as feminist - and who knows, they might do by the end

Women vs Hollywood is encyclopaedic, illuminating and passionate all at once, and O'Hara's erudition and love of film shine throughout