Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

What could I possibly say that would be half as meaningful as what Missoula illustrates?

Extremely well written and researched. The descriptions of the attacks are harrowing but in his commitment to telling the stories of the victims Krakauer is factual. I feel that there is a kindness and respect in that - no euphemisms, no obscuring or minimizing or sensationalizing. He doesn’t let the accused hide behind polite or ambiguous wording. It can be uncomfortable and unpleasant to read, but it’s necessary to clearly communicate the truth.

I thought it was interesting how women formed bonds with each other in the midst of trauma. How women confide with each other and share the burden. How one voice becomes many.

Part of me wishes all high school seniors would read this, but then I wonder if it would make a difference? I think, in this post #MeToo world teenagers and young adults know so much more about rape, assault, abuse, and consent than the youth of the past. The narrative seems to have changed a lot to support victims - but have the numbers actually changed in the wake of increased social awareness?

The least we can do is believe victims. We can hold people accountable for their actions. There is no excuse for rape.

(I think I might go ahead and read everything Jon Krakauer has published. I have Under the Banner of Heaven on my TBR but if that goes well I’ll just add his whole backlog.)

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heybrownberry's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

I would recommend this read for many folks because it uncovers so many important layers of this topic. It was difficult at times to continue, but with it to get the information.

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janemarple's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

4.5

This is an important but absolutely infuriating book that yet again demonstrates the complete dumpster fire that is the American criminal justice system. The failures in Missoula, Montana to serve victims of rape and sexual violence, and to prosecute those responsible, are shocking yet not unique to that place. However to learn that the county responded to the failures by electing Kirsten Pabst to be the new county district attorney is a new level of shocking, awful red state behavior. Electing the woman who was largely responsible for the failures shows how wide swaths of America are essentially The Handmaids Tale come to life.

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maddielo's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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niamhreadsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.75

A really hard read in terms of the content, but the writing style makes it very 'readable.' This is a thoroughly researched book which documents the Missoula rape crisis that left women and girls vulnerable to the unwanted advances of college and football students. Krakauer is not afraid to call out blatant lies and misleading information throughout this book when it was clear that police and state officials were lying or misrepresenting facts. He was consistently on the side of the victims while also providing interesting - but harrowing- interview transcripts from the rapists at the heart of some of the accusations. While vile to read, they provide an interesting insight into how these acquaintance rapes are thought of by those who commit them (hint: they don't think of them as rape in the slightest, despite their own disgusting tellings of some incidents). Well worth a read, if you can stomach it.

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sonygaystation's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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qsick's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative medium-paced

4.25

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