Hey, it's NPR's book today. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. So the writer's guild strike is over,

and the actor's strike is over. The big machine, that is Hollywood, is back to turning its wheels.

But earlier this year, right when the writer's strike just started, journalist Maureen Ryan put out

this book called Burn It Down, Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood.

It's a part of NPR's Books We Love Packaged this year and tagged under eye-opening reads.

And rightfully so. It's an examination of the exploitation that goes on in the service of bringing

you all the shows and movies you love. Ryan spoke to NPR's Eric Degans about the book and how

it doesn't have to

be this way. You know, that good art doesn't need to go hand in hand with abuse. That's after the

break. In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life. Distant wars, murky

conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you understand why distant

events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your

podcasts. Looking at media coverage of Hollywood, especially in recent years, it seems obvious.

Show business has a problem with behind-the-scenes abuse and harassment.

But this week, Maureen Ryan, a contributing editor of Vanity Fair, long-time critic, and

journalists surprised TV fans by revealing in the magazine that a classic show, beloved for its

diverse cast and creativity, was actually steeped in incidents of racism, sexism, and bullying

behavior behind the scenes.

That show was lost, centered on the surreal experiences of a group of people stranded

on an island after a plane crash, which won Emmy Golden Globe and Peabody Awards

during its sixth season run on ABC in the mid-2000s. But according to writers and actors who

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