A review by jtllnt
Is Rape a Crime?: A Memoir, an Investigation, and a Manifesto by Michelle Bowdler

challenging sad

4.0

deeply moving and thoughtful critique of the way sexual violence is handled that takes both a personal and public health perspective. the author sheds light on how the way the justice system and culture at large approach sexual violence - i.e., refusing to acknowledge the gravity of the crime, seeing it as accident or misunderstanding - contribute to its perpetuation and impunity for perpetrators. i appreciated how she didn't shy away from talking about how big it is - too often the impact sexual violence is minimized, perhaps because if we truly reckoned with its massive impact combined with its prevalence, the failure of culture, justice systems, and government to act would be too damning. her question about what the point of personal justice is if there is no systemic change was poignant - the only thing i think would have added to the book is a discussion of restorative justice. there's a lot of interesting work being done around restorative justice and sexual violence and i would have been interested to hear her thoughts.