cover image Stealing MySpace: The Battle to Control the Most Popular Website in America

Stealing MySpace: The Battle to Control the Most Popular Website in America

Julia Angwin, . . Random, $27 (371pp) ISBN 978-1-4000-6694-0

Angwin, an award-winning journalist for the Wall Street Journal , recounts the history of MySpace.com in this well-written, entertaining and drama-filled chronicle. From its founding by Chris DeWolfe to its surprising purchase for nearly $600 million by Rupert Murdoch and NewsCorp., Angwin takes the reader through the company’s tumultuous journey to the top. Readers will learn how Eliot Spitzer’s spyware lawsuit nearly devastated the company and how Richard Blumenthal’s investigation into the site’s lack of protection of minors resulted in a blindsiding public assault. An array of personalities populate the book, including Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone, Bill O’Reilly and Tila Tequila, who was one of the earliest to use her popularity on the site to generate a successful business. Angwin also describes the massive defection of MySpace users to Facebook and leaves the reader to wrestle with the issue of digital identity. Attesting to the depth of her research, Angwin also includes a lengthy notes section. This engrossing look at how MySpace became a media powerhouse will find a solid audience of business history, technology and entrepreneurship readers. (Mar.)