New book looks back at 'Sunset Boulevard,' a poison-dipped love letter to Hollywood

By Ailsa Chang,

Marc Rivers, Justine Kenin

Published August 14, 2025 at 6:04 PM EDT

David M. Lubin's book Ready for My Close-Up: The Making of Sunset Boulevard and the Dark Side of the Hollywood Dream looks at how the film's poison-dipped love letter to Hollywood endures 75 years later.

Ailsa Chang

Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist who hosts All Things Considered along with Ari Shapiro, Audie Cornish, and Mary Louise Kelly. She landed in public radio after practicing law for a few years.

See stories by Ailsa Chang

Marc Rivers

Justine Kenin

Justine Kenin is an editor on All Things Considered. She joined NPR in 1999 as an intern. Nothing makes her happier than getting a book in the right reader's hands – most especially her own.

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