Any fan of the show knows exactly what he means. Actors Charisma Carpenter, Amber Benson, and Michelle Trachtenberg have all gone on record about how formerly-revered series creator Joss Whedon made them feel unsafe, manipulated them, lied to them, or insulted them (or in Carpenter's case, all of the above). Others from the show's cast and crew have since come out to corroborate these stories or offer support to the women who went through all that crap.
Whereas Katz apparently began his book in a world where Buffy the Vampire Slayer was generally considered to be a groundbreaking piece of television about a feminist superhero who slays vamps with her Mr. Pointy and its creator was considered by many to be nothing short of a genius, the landscape then shifted to one in which Whedon was outed as a serial-jerk (who still hasn't reckoned with or apologized for any of his alleged transgressions) and the show itself has been widely reevaluated in ways that have seen its feminist stock plunge severely.
So a book that likely began as a celebration of the author's favorite show turned out to be something much more complicated and uncomfortable, but also timely and valuable. Into Every Generation A Slayer Is Born now largely stands as an exploration of how fans deal with something they once loved unconditionally that turns out to be weighted down with some previously concealed baggage.
That being said, as Katz writes, there are remnants of the book he set out to write. The first half of it is full of making-of details, episode and character analysis, and critique. The second half focuses on different aspects of the series: how it shapes up in terms of its relationships with gender, race, and sexuality; its fashion; its unique dialogue; the work of title-character-portrayer Sarah Michelle Gellar; etc. However, Whedon's troubling behavior continually floats up even in discussions of matters as seemingly innocuous as the series' costuming choices.
Katz conducted interviews with many members of the cast and crew, who provide some astonishing insights and some truly, at times disturbingly, raw comments (the latter is especially true of actor Nicholas Brendon, who has had his own highly publicized problems that go beyond anything Whedon, who unsurprisingly did not respond to Katz's interview request, has allegedly done). By detailing his interview process, it's clear that the interviewees might not have been so open if the author wasn't such a shrewd and brave interviewer. Katz asks hard questions, allows ample space for his subjects to respond, isn't afraid to follow up even when topics are tender, but crucially knows when to back off. I haven't read too many other pop-culture books in which the writer is such a constant presence.
Perhaps the questions fans want answered before wading into Into Every Generation A Slayer Is Born is "Will this book make me feel terrible about that show I love?" Well, it probably will at times just because some terrible shit went down while bringing it to life. However, Katz still seems pretty unwavering in his love of the series and has nothing but praise for many of its participants (especially Gellar, but also Carpenter, Benson, and my personal fave, Emma Caufield, among others). Katz reminds us that even a series with as personal a voice as Buffy the Vampire Slayer is not the work of just one guy. Actor/writer/interviewee Tavi Gevinson also provides some of the best-articulated insights about that wrestling match between fandom and ethics I've yet encountered. Her honesty is reflected in a book that places honesty and reflection above the mindless celebration usually associated with fandom. It's a challenging thing to do, and Katz navigates it with deftness, humor, and love.
