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Reviews
Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture--and What We Can Do about It by Kate Harding
lberestecki's review against another edition
3.0
This was a decent book and I think it would be a good introduction for someone that doesn’t have a fully developed understanding of rape culture. But I felt like the author tried a little too hard to write conversationally and it came off a bit flippant at times. Even though I didn’t love it, I still would recommend this book to people who are looking to educate themselves on rape culture and ways that they might be complicit in it - it’s a good starting point.
renatasnacks's review against another edition
5.0
I had to read this kind of slowly to keep my blood from getting too angried up (I have no idea how she managed to write this without having a fatal Rage Stroke, but props to her), but it's fantastic. I've loved Kate Harding's short form essays and articles and this is a great macro look at rape culture. She's great at sharply cutting through bullshit with a sense of humor amidst the bleakness, and in demonstrating how things are linked.
shannon94's review against another edition
5.0
Obviously a very depressing topic, but Kate Harding's wit and humor made it a weirdly enjoyable read and an educational one at that.
regferk's review against another edition
5.0
Every woman needs to read this one. Scratch that. Every person needs to read it.
leaton01's review against another edition
5.0
In many ways this is a brutal book for many people. For victims of rape and sexual assault, it confirms and explains what many of them have gone through in a culture that pays mere lipservice to victims of such violence. For those who have never been directly involved, it's an eye-opening exploration into how many of us are likely to be complicit in sexual violence in our culture. But equally important, it's an eloquent and strong critique that gives victims and allies the means of which to see the pernicious assumptions about sexual violence in our culture and to call it out when we see it. Harding's accessible prose, wit, and drawing out of the different aspects of American society that create a rape culture blend together so well that the reader is left speechless. It's one of those reads that I feel that everyone should read and even if it people disagree with it, we'd be a better society for having read.
thorn's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most difficult books I've ever read, but also best books I've ever read. I wish it were required reading with a hard trigger warning for anyone who isn't at a place where they can read it.
There are a few things I'd change, but it's still a 5 star book for me.
There are a few things I'd change, but it's still a 5 star book for me.
kserra's review against another edition
5.0
A cogent summary of what rape culture means and looks like. Even if you're pretty familiar with the topic, Harding's writing is compelling and snappy, so it's worth picking up. Great book!
sam_rockbrune's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book. It’s intense and serious and funny and sarcastic and heartbreaking at points and everything I wanted for a book about sexual assault in western society. It was a hard read. I won’t lie. But so so necessary. I really enjoyed the final two chapters, which focused on online harassment, mras and pick up artists and freedom of speech. That chapter I found could stand alone, and not be required to be associated with rape in the same sense as all the other chapters. I liked how this book ended on a somewhat positive note pointing out all the good that has been happening. I’m going to buy this book to reread because I found a lot of the information to be useful for theorizing about rape culture. Overall I suggest everyone read this but be prepared for the intense overwhelming feelings that it incites.
While reading this I found it was almost too much at times and while I did manage to read it within a two week or so span I found it necessary to take more breaks than usual because it became so much. Originally I was also going to read Missoula, a book about campus rape right after, but because my fall project was also about sexual assault it all became a little too much. Asking for it is a difficult read because of how depressing the information is. Very very little of this was new or shocking for. I’ve spent the past four years immersed in it. Harding talks a lot about recent high profile cases (excluding the extremely recent such as Ghomeshi or Mandi Gray or Stanford rapist) and I found that important. These are all cases that have shaped my understanding of society and it was interesting (and nice in a way) to see them be discussed. Harding was able to articulate all of the feelings and thoughts I have about rape culture in a understandable and eloquent manner. Overall if you want to read about rape culture whether you are new to the term or want something that will reaffirm what you know check this book out.
While reading this I found it was almost too much at times and while I did manage to read it within a two week or so span I found it necessary to take more breaks than usual because it became so much. Originally I was also going to read Missoula, a book about campus rape right after, but because my fall project was also about sexual assault it all became a little too much. Asking for it is a difficult read because of how depressing the information is. Very very little of this was new or shocking for. I’ve spent the past four years immersed in it. Harding talks a lot about recent high profile cases (excluding the extremely recent such as Ghomeshi or Mandi Gray or Stanford rapist) and I found that important. These are all cases that have shaped my understanding of society and it was interesting (and nice in a way) to see them be discussed. Harding was able to articulate all of the feelings and thoughts I have about rape culture in a understandable and eloquent manner. Overall if you want to read about rape culture whether you are new to the term or want something that will reaffirm what you know check this book out.