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A review by floratristan
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.25
Extremely depressing, infuriating and frustrating read. At some point it's just hard not to scream, it seems like any man, even your close childhood friend, could be a potential threat and rape you. And no matter how much evidence you gather, how obvious your case is, there are a multitude of hurdles: the slim chance of the police taking you seriously, then of the DA accepting to prosecute your case, then of the case verdict being "guilty". And even if all this happens, there are still extremely mild sentences and many options to appeal.
I find it interesting that colleges in the US have a kind of legal system. I wonder if that's the case for any European universities (not as far as I know) and why that is. Is it because expulsion is only possible once a criminal investigation happens? Reminded me of the UdK case.
I also find it interesting that there are different levels of how much proof you need, even in court between criminal and civil cases. Beyond a reasonable doubt or just through the sheer multitude of evidence.
Lastly, I think it's important to know statistics in order to talk about the subject in an informed way: over 90% of accusations of rape are true, and most rapists are serial rapists. What makes me especially angry is when female friends or people like Kristin Pabst betray victims of rape. I just don't get it! I empathie so much with the women telling their stories, with the feelings they describe even if their reactions don't make sense in a rational way, about the trauma afterward, etc. So how someone like Pabst can turn off her empathy or forget what it's like to be a woman in a misogynistic society is beyond me.
4,5 stars because I found it a little bit strange that in the beginning, Huguets story was partly told from the perspective of her father and how hard it was for him to face his daughters rape. I get that Krakauer is a middle aged man who probably empathises with the father's position the most, but especially at the beginng of the book this perspective should not have so much weight, because it promotes the idea of paternalistic, macho, "my daughter's innocence and purity are virtues that I as a father need to protect vehemently more than other qualities she might have" narrative
I find it interesting that colleges in the US have a kind of legal system. I wonder if that's the case for any European universities (not as far as I know) and why that is. Is it because expulsion is only possible once a criminal investigation happens? Reminded me of the UdK case.
I also find it interesting that there are different levels of how much proof you need, even in court between criminal and civil cases. Beyond a reasonable doubt or just through the sheer multitude of evidence.
Lastly, I think it's important to know statistics in order to talk about the subject in an informed way: over 90% of accusations of rape are true, and most rapists are serial rapists. What makes me especially angry is when female friends or people like Kristin Pabst betray victims of rape. I just don't get it! I empathie so much with the women telling their stories, with the feelings they describe even if their reactions don't make sense in a rational way, about the trauma afterward, etc. So how someone like Pabst can turn off her empathy or forget what it's like to be a woman in a misogynistic society is beyond me.
4,5 stars because I found it a little bit strange that in the beginning, Huguets story was partly told from the perspective of her father and how hard it was for him to face his daughters rape. I get that Krakauer is a middle aged man who probably empathises with the father's position the most, but especially at the beginng of the book this perspective should not have so much weight, because it promotes the idea of paternalistic, macho, "my daughter's innocence and purity are virtues that I as a father need to protect vehemently more than other qualities she might have" narrative
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Sexism, Bullying, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence