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chapita4's review against another edition
5.0
Really well researched and written book that could easily transfer to any college town in America. As a former prosecution based victim advocate, I found the challenges and struggles depressingly familiar. In particular I found myself discouraged by the actions of Kirsten Pabst and I fear for the victims of her jurisdiction. It is hard enough to be the victim of a sexual assault, to then be further victimized by the system that is supposed to hold offenders accountable is reprehensible.
I applaud Jon Krakauer for putting into word the reality of rape victims and for illuminating the weaknesses of the many systems that are involved when a crime occurs on campus.
The most difficult aspect of advocating for crime victims was the lack of protection for victims of crime. As an accused person your rights are vigorously protected and there are strict rules about what can be said to and about you. There are no such protections for victims and it was infuriating to watch defense attorney's make false statements about victims in order to defend their clients. Further, jurors have a false sense that if an attorney makes a statement it must be true which greatly influences the outcomes of trial. Great job Mr. Krakauer and I thank you for caring enough about victims to write this book.
I applaud Jon Krakauer for putting into word the reality of rape victims and for illuminating the weaknesses of the many systems that are involved when a crime occurs on campus.
The most difficult aspect of advocating for crime victims was the lack of protection for victims of crime. As an accused person your rights are vigorously protected and there are strict rules about what can be said to and about you. There are no such protections for victims and it was infuriating to watch defense attorney's make false statements about victims in order to defend their clients. Further, jurors have a false sense that if an attorney makes a statement it must be true which greatly influences the outcomes of trial. Great job Mr. Krakauer and I thank you for caring enough about victims to write this book.
angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
5.0
Another great book from Krakauer. Eye opening. The process described and elucidated will make you physically sick. Yet another broken, backwards process in the United States. Gripping read.
bookph1le's review against another edition
5.0
Infuriating and disturbing. More complete review to come.
sunnylain's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
juliagoesoutdoors's review against another edition
5.0
A difficult but necessary read. This is the 3rd Krakauer book I've finished and in this book, like his others, I appreciate the depth and breadth to which he researches and conveys all the aspects of the story.
brikrush's review against another edition
4.0
***IF YOU READ THIS BOOK OR THIS REVIEW, YOU SHOULD DONATE TO A SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRE***
I mean... okay. JK is clearly overwhelmed and moved by the information he shares in this book, but you know who already knew a lot of these stats? women. maybe it's my childhood diet of every episode of SVU or maybe it's my adult career in sexual violence but like... of course? of course the police and the DA dismissed victims? of course people don't understand acquaintance rape? of course people sided with the quarterback and with the football team and exclaimed that "boys will be boys" and "don't ruin this young man's future"? of course these cases were rife with victim-blaming and a misunderstanding of how trauma works? like it's great that JK learned all this and then wrote this book and then other people learned all this and now, hopefully, we can support the orgs that have been doing this work. orgs that have been campaigning for this change. orgs that have tirelessly and ceaselessly brought in this awareness but aren't white male journalists and so haven't been as easily received.
anyway. basically, I would never urge anyone to report sexual violence unless it was their idea because like, yeah dude, this is the reality. ACAB. Olivia Benson is not a real person.
Nate says I shouldn't review books harshly if I'm not the intended audience, and I think that's valid. JK is a great writer, his work is compelling, and this is the first audiobook I've ever truly enjoyed. I hope people take away the enormity of the issues around sexual violence and rape culture, and then I hope they continue to explore more in-depth and nuanced understandings of why and what now.
I mean... okay. JK is clearly overwhelmed and moved by the information he shares in this book, but you know who already knew a lot of these stats? women. maybe it's my childhood diet of every episode of SVU or maybe it's my adult career in sexual violence but like... of course? of course the police and the DA dismissed victims? of course people don't understand acquaintance rape? of course people sided with the quarterback and with the football team and exclaimed that "boys will be boys" and "don't ruin this young man's future"? of course these cases were rife with victim-blaming and a misunderstanding of how trauma works? like it's great that JK learned all this and then wrote this book and then other people learned all this and now, hopefully, we can support the orgs that have been doing this work. orgs that have been campaigning for this change. orgs that have tirelessly and ceaselessly brought in this awareness but aren't white male journalists and so haven't been as easily received.
anyway. basically, I would never urge anyone to report sexual violence unless it was their idea because like, yeah dude, this is the reality. ACAB. Olivia Benson is not a real person.
Nate says I shouldn't review books harshly if I'm not the intended audience, and I think that's valid. JK is a great writer, his work is compelling, and this is the first audiobook I've ever truly enjoyed. I hope people take away the enormity of the issues around sexual violence and rape culture, and then I hope they continue to explore more in-depth and nuanced understandings of why and what now.
klgoodrich98's review against another edition
3.0
Content-wise, this book easily earns five stars! As a young woman attending college, hearing about the struggles of the women Krakauer followed infuriated me. I think everyone should read this book for its message alone. I’d particularly like the men in my life to read it and gain some understanding of why the fear of sexual assault is so pervasive amongst women. This book paints a devastating image of the realities surrounding how rape is addressed by our criminal justice system, which is to say, it isn’t.
That being said, something about the writing style itself in this book didn’t click with me the way I’d hoped it would. I’ve read Krakauer’s work before and enjoyed his writing, but something about this book failed to impress me stylistically. I think it may be a bit repetitive at times or go into extreme detail, though I understand the need to get the message through.
That being said, something about the writing style itself in this book didn’t click with me the way I’d hoped it would. I’ve read Krakauer’s work before and enjoyed his writing, but something about this book failed to impress me stylistically. I think it may be a bit repetitive at times or go into extreme detail, though I understand the need to get the message through.