Book #69 of 2017:

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer

A tough read about five women in Missoula, Montana who were raped by members of the local college football team and faced incredible difficulty in bringing their rapists to justice when the athletes were protected by police, university officials, and attorneys at every turn. Author Jon Krakauer is a bit overzealous in denigrating the men’s defense lawyers – who are simply providing the best legal representation possible in an adversarial court system – but he also shines a damning light on the prosecutors who abuse their allowed discretion in deciding which police reports should result in criminal charges being filed. Above all, Krakauer emphasizes the extreme trauma these survivors have been through: in their initial attacks, in the PTSD that follows, and in the hostile and disbelieving reactions from a community that loves its local football stars.

Missoula’s ‘rape crisis’ brought these cases to national attention, and this book is a well-researched documentation of everything that transpired behind the headlines. But the events described here are in no way limited to Missoula alone, which actually sees incidents of rape at slightly under the national average for comparable college towns. The rapes in this book are happening everywhere, and it is incumbent upon all of us to reform the way we treat rape reports, accused rapists, and their victims.

★★★☆☆

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