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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.
khitch629's review against another edition
5.0
it took me forever to read this thanks to life and school, but this was a great read. it really provided a lot of insight into rape culture, especially on college campuses, and shared what is being done to address these problems so that victims can get better justice
ambrose_7's review against another edition
4.0
Disturbing and shocking, Krakauer did a masterful job of opening me into a topic that is shunned in society. This was one of the books that changed my perception of life and my worldview. At times it seemed repetitive, but it really is a story that AMERICA needs to take to heart. A book that will truly make you heartbroken and angry. A hard read but an important one.
ammmiiiii's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I’ve long thought about how to review this book, and the only words that come to mind are shocking, incredibly sad, horrifying, incredible, unbelievable.
The pain from this kind of ordeal is never-ending, and if I could wrap my arms around every girl mentioned in the book, I would.
The pain from this kind of ordeal is never-ending, and if I could wrap my arms around every girl mentioned in the book, I would.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
stephnbaby's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
chelseatm's review against another edition
2.0
My following review is not meant to be taken as a critique on the state of sexual assault or their succeeding justice paths in North America today. Instead, it is a review of how Jon Krakauer handled the subject of rape in one small Montana town.
I have long been a fan of Krakauer's work and I was eager to read his latest book. Adding to that, the issues of rape and consent have also been of interest to me and ones that I ponder frequently. However, I was disappointed with Krakauer's handling. His subjective and editorializing approach at times brinked on irresponsible. He failed to use the word allegedly numerous times despite the accused in question having never been convicted. Well I appreciate his wanting to stay on the side of the victim, I felt that his demonizing of the accused not only hurt his credibility in handling the subject matter truthfully and forthrightly, it was also distracting as a reader. I felt I was not given an honest opportunity to develop my own opinion. Also, at times with his use of 'pissing contest,' 'with disdain,' and 'icy,' I felt that he was acting childish.
The book was also just a regurgitation of two rape trials without offering any actual commentary or fruitful interviews. When I picked up the book, I had assumed it would be a multi-perspective piece with numerous experts and officials in the sexual assault and justice community. Instead, it turned out to be a public shaming of officials with only a smattering of advice and solutions in the last couple pages at the conclusion. I feel Krakauer could have achieved his objective much more effectively without the editorializing and more background and interviews to shape and support the cases that he was outlined.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book.
I have long been a fan of Krakauer's work and I was eager to read his latest book. Adding to that, the issues of rape and consent have also been of interest to me and ones that I ponder frequently. However, I was disappointed with Krakauer's handling. His subjective and editorializing approach at times brinked on irresponsible. He failed to use the word allegedly numerous times despite the accused in question having never been convicted. Well I appreciate his wanting to stay on the side of the victim, I felt that his demonizing of the accused not only hurt his credibility in handling the subject matter truthfully and forthrightly, it was also distracting as a reader. I felt I was not given an honest opportunity to develop my own opinion. Also, at times with his use of 'pissing contest,' 'with disdain,' and 'icy,' I felt that he was acting childish.
The book was also just a regurgitation of two rape trials without offering any actual commentary or fruitful interviews. When I picked up the book, I had assumed it would be a multi-perspective piece with numerous experts and officials in the sexual assault and justice community. Instead, it turned out to be a public shaming of officials with only a smattering of advice and solutions in the last couple pages at the conclusion. I feel Krakauer could have achieved his objective much more effectively without the editorializing and more background and interviews to shape and support the cases that he was outlined.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book.