These Books Capture The #MeToo Era

Two years ago, the New York Times published an expose that changed the world. Journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor recall knowing, in their new book, She Said, that their article revealing Harvey Weinstein’s decades of sexual misconduct would be explosive. What they couldn’t predict, though, was the torrent of similar experiences the article unleashed.

We now broadly refer to the outpouring of stories as the #MeToo movement, a term originally coined by activist Tarana Burke. For so long, stories of sexual misconduct were silenced, sealed up in binding arbitration, and ignored. Today, these stories are heard — and have consequences for perpetrators and survivors alike, though not always the intended ones. 

To this day, #MeToo stories saturate the news cycle. It’s one thing to read about the facts of a #MeToo incident. It’s another to understand the complicated dynamics of sexual relationships, whether through a deeply wrought work of contemporary fiction or an in-depth investigative analysis. Ranging from YA dystopias to journalistic deep-dives, these books explore the complexities under the surface of many #MeToo stories.  

Here’s what to read on the movement’s second anniversary.