The author of the New York Times bestseller Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep returns with a lively history of the Academy Awards, chronicling the brutal battles, the starry rivalries, and the colorful behind-the-scenes drama.

“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, entertaining dramas and light comedies leading up to Oscar victory.”—Graydon Carter, former editor in chief of Vanity Fair and founder of Air Mail

For nearly a century, perfectly coiffed starlets, debonair leading men, and producers with gold in their eyes have chased the elusive Oscar. What began as an industry banquet in 1929 has now exploded into a hallowed ceremony, complete with red carpets, sealed envelopes, and little gold men. But the Oscars, more than anything, are a battlefield, where the history of Hollywood—and of America itself—unfolds in dramas large and small. The road to the Oscars may be golden, but it’s paved in blood, sweat, and broken hearts.

Featuring a star-studded cast, Oscar Wars takes a fresh look at the remarkable, sprawling history of the Academy Awards and the personal dramas that have played out on the stage and off-camera. Each chapter takes a deep dive into a particular year, conflict, or category that tells a larger story of cultural upheaval, from Louis B. Mayer to Moonlight. Michael Schulman examines how the red carpet runs through contested turf, and the victors aren’t always as clear as the names drawn from the envelopes. Caught in the crossfire are people: their thwarted ambitions, their artistic epiphanies, their messy collaborations, their dreams fulfilled or dashed.