Scan barcode
A review by rbruehlman
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer
4.0
A fan of Jon Krakauer's work more generally, I received this book for Christmas and treated like it was dessert after dinner, to be read once I had gotten past certainly less enjoyable books. I've loved every Jon Krakauer book to date, so this one would be sure to delight.
It was alright. I'd give it 3.5 stars, maybe, if Goodreads had a rating system. The book was not at all bad--it was engaging and well-written and read easily--but relative to Krakauer's other books, it was disappointing.
Missoula explores several different rape cases that occurred in the early 2010s in Missoula, Montana. Much of the book is dedicated to exploring several different women's experiences. I felt like Krakauer included so many cases that they blended together a bit and were not as poignant or memorable as if he had chosen just to focus on, say, two cases only.
The latter part of the book is a play-by-play of the trials, which was dialogue-driven. Considering how floridly descriptive Krakauer is, the extensive amount of back-and-forth dialogue felt a bit ... basic? Like anyone could have written Missoula.
The book attacks an important topic, though. I was vaguely aware of the Missoula scandal, and it was fascinating (and depressing) to see how the town systematically dismissed women who reported acquaintance rape, which is, unfortunately, overwhelmingly the most common type of rape and arguably the one most laden with shame and guilt. It is little wonder so many Missoulan victims felt it was pointless to report rape.
Overall, it's well-written, just not one of Krakauer's better books. I'm a bit disappointed, but high bar and all.
It was alright. I'd give it 3.5 stars, maybe, if Goodreads had a rating system. The book was not at all bad--it was engaging and well-written and read easily--but relative to Krakauer's other books, it was disappointing.
Missoula explores several different rape cases that occurred in the early 2010s in Missoula, Montana. Much of the book is dedicated to exploring several different women's experiences. I felt like Krakauer included so many cases that they blended together a bit and were not as poignant or memorable as if he had chosen just to focus on, say, two cases only.
The latter part of the book is a play-by-play of the trials, which was dialogue-driven. Considering how floridly descriptive Krakauer is, the extensive amount of back-and-forth dialogue felt a bit ... basic? Like anyone could have written Missoula.
The book attacks an important topic, though. I was vaguely aware of the Missoula scandal, and it was fascinating (and depressing) to see how the town systematically dismissed women who reported acquaintance rape, which is, unfortunately, overwhelmingly the most common type of rape and arguably the one most laden with shame and guilt. It is little wonder so many Missoulan victims felt it was pointless to report rape.
Overall, it's well-written, just not one of Krakauer's better books. I'm a bit disappointed, but high bar and all.