Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Black Box: The Memoir That Sparked Japan's #metoo Movement by Shiori Ito

13 reviews

joshuahc's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

aus10england's review

challenging dark medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Misogyny and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicide and Vomit

lilybear3's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I can only imagine the pain and frustration she has experienced.  I was enraged and sad throughout this book with how her case was handled.  I certainly learned a lot about Japan's justice system and how it needs to be improved.  The translation seemed well-done (I only know English).

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Bullying, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Suicide, Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts

mondovertigo's review

challenging dark sad fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Drug abuse, Suicide, and Alcohol

erid's review

dark inspiring sad tense medium-paced

powerful. heartbreaking. an important read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

platlinum's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

The author covers important themes of victim shaming, the structure that makes it hard to report these cases, speaking out, reclaiming one’s narrative, gaslighting, etc. I almost DNF the book multiple times because I was SO angry but the way the story unfolded and how the book came to be was SO necessary. I will think of the author’s story often. The translation is very seamless! I forgot I was reading a translated work until I saw Japan mentioned at times to remind the reader of the context.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual assault

Minor: Suicide

krammedshelf's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

5.0

This review is written in Bahasa Indonesia.
TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE.

2022 baru 18 hari, tapi aku udah nemu buku yang aku rasa essential buat dibaca. Reading Black Box is an emotional rollercoaster, but you definitely should read this book once in your lifetime.

Black Box berisikan korespondensi antara Shiori Ito dan pemerkosanya, Noriyuki Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi adalah jurnalis senior yang menawarkan bantuan kepada Ito untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan di stasiun berita ternama saat pemerkosaan terjadi.

Membaca memoir ini semakin membuatku merasa bahwa stigma terhadap korban kekerasan seksual masih kental and how unfriendly our society is when it comes to handling rape cases. Saat melakukan investigasi kasusnya, semua pihak yang terlibat (terkecuali keluarga dan teman dekat Ito), nampak tidak mudah berkooporatif. Mulai dari hotel yang mengaku "tidak memiliki" rekaman CCTV sampai kepolisian yang menutup kasus Ito karena "terjadi di balik pintu dan tidak memiliki bukti yang kuat."

Mungkin ada juga hubungannya dengan posisi Yamaguchi yang memiliki banyak koneksi, sehingga kasus sangat sulit diusut. Ditambah ketika Ito memutuskan untuk mengadakan konferensi press, respons masyarakat pun tidak supportive.

Buku ini bener-bener menunjukan bobroknya sistem dalam melindungi korban dan penyintas KS. Ito juga memaparkan bahwa harus berapa kali lagi ia mengulangi cerita kejadian yang menimpanya. Statement ini mengingatkanku dengan kutipan buku Ada Serigala Betina dalam Diri Setiap Perempuan dimana Bu Ester menjelaskan bahwa menceritakan kembali detail KS sama saja seperti "diperkosa" kembali; it was painful. Ito juga berargumen bahwa masih banyak yang tidak ingin melaporkan kasus KS kepada pihak berwenang.

Aku sangat menyarankan teman-teman untuk membaca buku ini. Meskipun tipis, but I can't read this book in one sitting. :") 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

futurama's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring tense fast-paced

5.0

I read this book in three hours. The whole time I was sweating and frustrated and sad and angry. Ito painstakingly details her assault in chronological order along with notes from the present day. It's an intense read but a necessary one. I still need more time to process. I do hope more of Ito's investigative work gets translated. Not only is this an expose on Japan's legal system and treatment of sexual assault in culture and law, it's also a fine work of investigative journalism. Ito mentions other projects she worked on in the book and hopefully we can read that as well. 

Ito's case started and finished the entire time I lived in Japan and I remember seeing the original Japanese book selling out at bookstores. Thank you Shiori for your bravery. 

On another note, the translation by Allison Markin Powell was seamless. Powell also translates Hiromi Kawakami's books (The Nakano Thrift Shop and others) amongst other themmy Japanese authors. 

This is one of those rare books I think is a true 5/5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Violence, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Self harm, and Misogyny

heniaakbar's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I cannot go around and about and start reviewing a book about someone's harrowing personal experience like this; I feel like I don't have the rights to do so. This book is a memoir, written by Shiori Ito herself, and that's her face on the cover.

It is powerful, with a fluid narration which can make you vividly imagine what Ito's been experiencing. I can't even begin to comprehend the courage to speak up to the world, the exhaust when everyone is seemingly against you. She even stated in her book that she considered to kill herself, but "not before I do everything I can do!". The spirit is admirable. 

It's an important book to see that there are so many flaws in our judicial system and our law regarding sexual assault crimes; and how many victims are silenced by the higher power, to treat the cases as unimportant and to judge the victims for speaking up.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Drug use

eena's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence