A review by jeanstehle
The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story by Pagan Kennedy

dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Kennedy writes a fascinating and infuriating narrative nonfiction interweaving the unknown story of the woman behind the creation of the rape kit, Marty Goddard. Far from a dry historical retelling, this book tests the limits of our knowledge about sexual assault in our country: how it's treated, how it's ignored, and how these mores are slowly changing. I especially appreciated Kennedy bravely revealing her own painful experience of sexual assault. The ending of this book gave me the chills. We still have such a long way to go protecting survivors of sexual assault and demanding accountability from law enforcement, elected officials and the public at large.