Complicit: How Our Culture Enables Misbehaving Men

A thoroughly researched and deeply personal examination of how women unintentionally condone workplace abuse in a post-#MeToo world—and what we can do to change things for the better.

When Reah Bravo began working at the Charlie Rose show, the open secret of Rose’s conduct towards women didn’t deter her from pursuing a position she thought could launch her career in broadcast journalism. She considered herself more than capable of handling any unprofessional behavior that might come her way. But she soon learned a devastating truth: we don’t always react to abusive situations as we imagine we will.

When we live in a society where many feminist ideals are mainstream and women hold positions of power, how is it possible that sexual misconduct remains so prevalent? When many employers mandate trainings to prevent harassment of all kinds, why is workplace abuse still so rampant?

Weaving her own experience with those of other women and insights from experts, Bravo reveals the psychological and cultural forces that make us all enablers of a sexist and dangerous status quo. By bringing these hard truths into the light, Complicit charts an accessible path toward a better future.

Review

“[In] former PBS news producer Bravo's thoughtful book… she is not trying to establish blame or assign labels like victim, predator, or participant—she is instead looking for insights, acknowledging that everyone, men and women alike, suffers from the effects of toxic social conditioning. She digs deep…offer[ing] scenarios that will resonate with readers…. Her balanced and nuanced observations give readers much to think about.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Bravo weaves stories of women’s interactions with predatory men with social psychology studies about unconscious acceptance of power biases… Bravo’s points are distinct and often spot-on.”
—Kirkus

“With anthropological precision, [Bravo] looks at how our obsession with work as a key part of our identity, cultural narratives, and our evolutionary need for connection can allow abuse to flourish.”
—The Cut

“Complicit is a ­triumph of clarity and ­nuance. [Bravo’s] book looks beyond the ­accusations of #MeToo at what enabled the behaviors of men like Rose. It isn’t about ­simple self-blame but something much more complicated and ­interesting, how society—including women—absorb and support patriarchal norms…Complicit is a thoroughly ­compelling and thought-provoking book”
—The Irish Independent

“Fiercely vulnerable and impressively researched, Complicit is at once a salient self-examination and an unflinching interrogation of the societal permissions we both knowingly and unknowingly grant to powerful (mostly white) men behaving badly. At a critical time in the ongoing fight for gender and racial justice, Bravo has written an empathic and concise book that will inspire the next generation of voices courageous enough to rage against the machine.”
—Rebecca Carroll, author of the critically acclaimed memoir Surviving the White Gaze

“Reah Bravo has written a brave book. It is brave not merely because it is honest, but because it declines to make its case via tired political rhetoric. Instead, Bravo employs blunt self-awareness and rigorous scholarly research when interrogating her experiences (and our moment). The result is a text that imbues #MeToo-era discourse with a fresh voice.”
—Kate Bolick, author of the New York Times bestselling Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own

“Reading Complicit was a surprisingly emotional experience for me. I saw myself throughout the pages and in the stories told. Having survived my own toxic work environment and sexual assault, I was transported back to how I found myself in those situations. I related to all Reah Bravo explained about how the ecosystem I have grown up in led to these moments. This book made me feel less alone, less like things I had experienced were my fault. It also left me with hope, that by puling back the curtain and seeing the responsibility we can all take, that change can truly happen.”
—Kara Goucher, New York Times bestselling author of The Longest Race

About the Author

Reah Bravo is an American speechwriter currently living in Brussels. Earlier in her career, she worked in broadcast journalism producing political and other news segments for the PBS program Charlie Rose—a stint that ended in 2008, when she joined the nearly half of all sexually harassed women in America who leave their jobs. She holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and was a Fulbright Fellow in Bahrain.