Books
I have now written three books, and discovered that writing longer form is the best and worst thing on Earth. This will not surprise anyone who has written more. I’ve also written two introductions for other peoples’ very good books, The Magic Of Terry Pratchett and Best Pick: A Journey Through Film History And The Academy Awards, and a comic about a character called Thunderbolt the Avenger (not those ones) who dates back to the 1960s.
Please note that if you’re looking for the Helen O’Hara who wrote the memoir What’s She Like, that’s the former violin player from Dexy’s Midnight Runners and not one of mine (but I have met that Helen and she’s delightful, and I recommend her book). My Goodreads and Amazon UK profiles are below, and there are links to specific books, including those where I merely contributed a foreword, at the bottom of the page.
Women Vs Hollywood
The Fall And Rise of Women In Film
Published in 2020, my book Women Vs Hollywood was an attempt to sum up 135 years of Hollywood history from the perspective of the women who the system never quite embraced. From the female pioneers who were pushed out by the studios, to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements of recent years, it’s been a continual struggle between women with big dreams and money men with no intention of giving them too much power. The Sunday Times called it “a fascinating polemic”; Edgar Wright was kind enough to call it “a must-read”; my sister called it an excuse not to take my turn making dinner during the pandemic. Well, you can’t please everyone. I also recorded the audiobook, and drank my own weight in lemon and honey tea.
Press for the book
