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Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

Jon Krakauer (Goodreads Author)

4.08 · Rating details · 46,458 ratings · 5,574 reviews

From bestselling author Jon Krakauer, a stark, powerful, meticulously reported narrative about a series of sexual assaults at the University of Montana — stories that illuminate the human drama behind the national plague of campus rape.

Missoula, Montana, is a typical college town, with a highly regarded state university, bucolic surroundings, a lively social scene, and a From bestselling author Jon Krakauer, a stark, powerful, meticulously reported narrative about a series of sexual assaults at the University of Montana — stories that illuminate the human drama behind the national plague of campus rape.

Missoula, Montana, is a typical college town, with a highly regarded state university, bucolic surroundings, a lively social scene, and an excellent football team — the Grizzlies — with a rabid fan base.

The Department of Justice investigated 350 sexual assaults reported to the Missoula police between January 2008 and May 2012. Few of these assaults were properly handled by either the university or local authorities. In this, Missoula is also typical.

A DOJ report released in December of 2014 estimates 110,000 women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four are raped each year. Krakauer’s devastating narrative of what happened in Missoula makes clear why rape is so prevalent on American campuses, and why rape victims are so reluctant to report assault.

Acquaintance rape is a crime like no other. Unlike burglary or embezzlement or any other felony, the victim often comes under more suspicion than the alleged perpetrator. This is especially true if the victim is sexually active; if she had been drinking prior to the assault — and if the man she accuses plays on a popular sports team. The vanishingly small but highly publicized incidents of false accusations are often used to dismiss her claims in the press. If the case goes to trial, the woman’s entire personal life becomes fair game for defense attorneys.

This brutal reality goes a long way towards explaining why acquaintance rape is the most underreported crime in America. In addition to physical trauma, its victims often suffer devastating psychological damage that leads to feelings of shame, emotional paralysis and stigmatization. PTSD rates for rape victims are estimated to be 50%, higher than soldiers returning from war.

In Missoula, Krakauer chronicles the searing experiences of several women in Missoula — the nights when they were raped; their fear and self-doubt in the aftermath; the way they were treated by the police, prosecutors, defense attorneys; the public vilification and private anguish; their bravery in pushing forward and what it cost them.

Some of them went to the police. Some declined to go to the police, or to press charges, but sought redress from the university, which has its own, non-criminal judicial process when a student is accused of rape. In two cases the police agreed to press charges and the district attorney agreed to prosecute. One case led to a conviction; one to an acquittal. Those women courageous enough to press charges or to speak publicly about their experiences were attacked in the media, on Grizzly football fan sites, and/or to their faces. The university expelled three of the accused rapists, but one was reinstated by state officials in a secret proceeding. One district attorney testified for an alleged rapist at his university hearing. She later left the prosecutor’s office and successfully defended the Grizzlies’ star quarterback in his rape trial. The horror of being raped, in each woman’s case, was magnified by the mechanics of the justice system and the reaction of the community.

Krakauer’s dispassionate, carefully documented account of what these women endured cuts through the abstract ideological debate about campus rape. College-age women are not raped because they are promiscuous, or drunk, or send mixed signals, or feel guilty about casual sex, or seek attention. They are the victims of a terrible crime and deserving of compassion from society and fairness from a justice system that is clearly broken. ...more

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Published April 21st 2015 by Doubleday

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Aug 11, 2017 Emily May rated it it was amazing

Shelves: feminism, 2017, nonfiction

Absolutely gripping. The subject matter is one close to my heart, but after reading this and Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven, I'm starting to think he can make any subject interesting with his emotive and engaging writing style. Who knows? Maybe I can even get myself interested in mountaineering and tackle Into Thin Air or Eiger Dreams.

We shall see.

Anyway, Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town is extremely horrifying. I followed a number of the cases the author writes abo ...more

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Jul 02, 2015 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: liburry-book, read-2015

Rape in unique. No other crime is so fraught with controversy, so enmeshed in dispute and in the politics of gender and sexuality.

This book is not an easy read. It is however a book that should be read. It really should be required reading in high school and early college years. Not just for the boys either. Girls need this book too.

I wish I could do this book justice in a review. I just don't think I can encompass it well enough. Just read this book people. Even if you hate the way Jon Kra ...more

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Jul 21, 2015 Roxane rated it really liked it

Short review: Ban Men

Longer review: Horrifying look at rape culture at work in Missoula, MT, but also applicable everywhere. The first half of the book is much stronger. The second half is basically court transcripts. I would have liked to see more synthesis, and author insight. At the very end Krakauer is also like, "I had no idea it was this bad and that so many women were raped and now I know," and it was kind of strange but I guess it was also honest. What really struck me in this book is ho ...more

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May 21, 2015 Petra-X is getting covered in Soufriere ash rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Petra-X is getting covered in Soufriere ash by: Alisi ☆ wants to read too many books ☆

Shelves: popculture-anthropology, 2015-read, 2015-reviews, psycho-neurology-crime

The book was brilliantly and exhaustively written.

The system seems to be all women are guilty of getting themselves raped, or if they aren't guilty it wasn't that bad. And any efforts to accuse men, Our Footballers especially, will be seen as wicked girls who couldn't get a boyfriend or had some other contemptible and probably girlie motive. Police will only prosecute rape when they are 100% sure of getting a conviction as that looks good on their record.

Advice to girls going to college.

1. Do ...more

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Mar 31, 2015 Alicen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2015, recommended

I will read anything Krakauer writes.

This book, in particular, is both powerful and necessary. As he writes: "rather than being the nation's rape capital, Missoula had an incidence of sexual assault [in 2010] that was in fact slightly less than the national average. That's the real scandal." ...more

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Apr 19, 2015 Alex Daniel rated it liked it

All right, I'm going to be an asshole.

That's really the only way this will come off, isn't it? How can I explain that, while I believe that the subject matter is incredibly important, disturbing, and heart-wrenching, that the book itself doesn't live up to the task?

I love Jon Krakauer's work. What I love most about his writing is the way that he uses very specific narratives to talk about, and to illustrate, a much broader point. In INTO THE WILD, he wrote about one man's purposeful isolation, All right, I'm going to be an asshole.

That's really the only way this will come off, isn't it? How can I explain that, while I believe that the subject matter is incredibly important, disturbing, and heart-wrenching, that the book itself doesn't live up to the task?

I love Jon Krakauer's work. What I love most about his writing is the way that he uses very specific narratives to talk about, and to illustrate, a much broader point. In INTO THE WILD, he wrote about one man's purposeful isolation, and how that reflects on all of our desire to similarly escape. In UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, he wrote about two men's brutal killings, and how that reflects on fundamentalism gone dangerously awry. For MISSOULA, the objective seemed clear enough: by telling the tale of 2-3 women who were victims of sexual assault, he'd talk more broadly about how the justice system is broken.

And in some ways, Krakauer pulls this off. When he does pull back to look at society-at-large, the book works wonderfully. The information here is devastating. Krakauer is wise to pull much of his quotes from Judith Herman's excellent TRAUMA AND RECOVERY. When Krakauer talks about these issues, and how importantly they are, he does so deftly and sensitively while never losing sight of the magnitude of the problem. But I found that the individual narratives of the women were often bogged down. Most of the information about these individual stories are court proceedings, and much of our time in this book is spent with transcripts about what was said in court. I understand that this keeps the book's veracity high, but it doesn't make for great reading.

Ultimately, there is a lot to like about MISSOULA. It's scary without being sensationalist, and Krakauer's clear-eyed approach is difficult with such a sensitive topic. I hope that people read the book and are inspired to check out TRAUMA AND RECOVERY. Even if they don't, I think it'd be impossible to walk away from this without some sense of indignature towards our sexual and judicial culture. ...more

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Apr 22, 2015 Jamie rated it it was amazing

This is a painful, frustrating, teeth-grinding, angst-inducing, trigger-filled must read.

For those who think Krakauer is picking on Missoula, or out to tarnish the image of a whole community, get over it and read the book.

In the end he praises the University of Montana (where my daughter goes to school) for their improvements, he lauds the Missoula police, and highlights a weak spot for victims of sexual assault in the local justice system--the County Attorney's office.

Will those in charge of ...more

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Apr 03, 2015 Jen rated it really liked it

Shelves: disturbing

This narrative shocked me; enraged me; then frightened me. Krakauer exposes a rape culture that resides in the University of Missoula, Montana. Rape is the most under reported, prevalent violent crime against women and often committed by men whom they are acquainted with. This looks at 3 specific cases where the accused are football players. No more than 20% of rapes are reported. Why? Just look at how they are adjudicated. The victim re-victimized and traumatized physically through the collecti ...more

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Apr 04, 2015 Tom Mathews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, non-fiction, read-in-2015, politics

At the end of almost every audiobook the narrator comes on and says “We hope you have enjoyed this audio presentation of insert title. This morning when I got to the end of Jon Krakauer's latest book, and heard that, I had to laugh. No, I did not enjoy Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town. It is an excruciatingly painful book to read or listen to. It describes, in living Technicolor, several gut-wrenching sexual assaults and the years of psychological torment that the victims
At the end of almost every audiobook the narrator comes on and says “We hope you have enjoyed this audio presentation of insert title. This morning when I got to the end of Jon Krakauer's latest book, and heard that, I had to laugh. No, I did not enjoy Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town. It is an excruciatingly painful book to read or listen to. It describes, in living Technicolor, several gut-wrenching sexual assaults and the years of psychological torment that the victims of those assaults must endure. In addition, it spotlights shortcomings in our criminal justice system that only exacerbate the torture and suffering these victims experience.

As painful as this book is to read, though, I believe that it is one that everyone should read. There are too many myths and misconceptions about rape that need to be corrected. When we hear the word rapist most of us picture some stranger in a ski mask breaking into an apartment armed with a knife. While such assaults do happen, 80 percent of rapes are perpetrated by people the victim knows and trusts. Of all the cases discussed in this book, the rapist was always considered a trusted friend by the victim. Another myth that is commonly held is that if a girl is really being raped, she will scream, fight, and do everything in her power up to and including risking her life, to resist. When police, prosecutors and juries believe that acquaintances can’t be rapists or that submission signifies assent, it is easy to see why rape is the most underreported violent crime on the books.

I could say more. I want to say more but I feel that if I started writing, I would not stop until I had a review that was longer that the book I am reviewing. I do want to point out one important thing which Krakauer made clear. This book did not focus on Missoula and the University of Montana because more rapes take place there than elsewhere. In truth, the rate for reported sexual assaults at the University of Montana is actually slightly less that the average. The book shone a spotlight on Montana to show what the situation is like everywhere.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
...more

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Apr 29, 2016 Caroline rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: All

Shelves: nonfiction, maximum-impact, page-turner, narrative-nonfiction, get-smart, important-nonfiction, true-crime, litmus-test, favorites, he-wrote-it

***NO SPOILERS***

Common rape fallacies:

1) Many women “cry rape.”

2) Many rape victims are the ones who choose not to charge and prosecute their rapists.

3) Most rapists don’t know their victims.

4) Most rapists are punished.

If you think the United States is one of the most forward-thinking countries when it comes to this monstrous crime, if you think police do everything in their power to protect rape victims, if you think most people understand rape in general, you’d be sorely mistaken, and you ...more

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Jun 26, 2015 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing

A powerful examination of the realities of rape on college campuses ( Missoula in this book),
is just frickin TOO HIGH!!!!

The stories in Missoula are gut wrenching... details after details... Is it any wonder justice is hard to come by...
More rapes go under-reported than 'any' other crime? A crime which leaves life long scars.

If the 'big crimes' on college campuses of 'under-reporting' were stealing.... ( which happens too), the victim would feel angry, invaded, and a range of other emotion...b ...more

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Jun 15, 2015 Iris P rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: immersion-reading, non-fiction, feminist-theme, true-crime, us-justice-system

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

Jon Krakauer is an American writer best known for his writings about the outdoors

"Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town'' is a brutally honest, absorbing piece of investigative journalism that chronicles several alleged cases of "non-stranger" rape that occurred in the college town of Missoula, Montana, between January 2008 and May 2012.

While I found some of the book's descriptions of sexual assaults highly descrip ...more

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May 21, 2015 Thomas rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-physical, five-stars, feminism, nonfiction

With the atrocity of the Stanford ~~swimmer~~ rapist case blowing up in the news, I feel like I could not have read Missoula at a more relevant time. Jon Krakauer does a great job highlighting the flurry of rapes that took place in the college town of Missoula at the University of Montana. His extensive and meticulous research shines as he delves into the convoluted intricacies of prosecuting rape in our legal system and the horrible trauma survivors experience as a result of rape. While Krakauer fo ...more

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Mar 03, 2015 Maureen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

****WARNING**** - to all of my GR friends who read my reviews, this is not going to be a typical review for me- it simply cannot be.

Krakauer has given voice to a subject that is extremely personal to me - I was a victim of sexual assault and as Krakauer points out, to not be believed is almost worse than the assault itself. As to the book- brilliant- mother-effing brilliant.
Anyone (Kirsten Pabst) who wants to claim that this book provides a one-sided view of a complicated issue- well you can j ****WARNING**** - to all of my GR friends who read my reviews, this is not going to be a typical review for me- it simply cannot be.

Krakauer has given voice to a subject that is extremely personal to me - I was a victim of sexual assault and as Krakauer points out, to not be believed is almost worse than the assault itself. As to the book- brilliant- mother-effing brilliant.
Anyone (Kirsten Pabst) who wants to claim that this book provides a one-sided view of a complicated issue- well you can just go pound sand. Although brutal to read and teeth-grindingly frustrating, Krakauer did an exemplary job of providing a balanced, albeit painful, account of the disgraceful situation existing in Missoula. Sadly, I do not think this period has come to an end. With Pabst now serving as Missoula County District Attorney, there is no way the ignorance and lack of compassion in that office is going to be remedied when you have the chief offender at the helm. If there is not a recall election already being planned, there certainly should be. Ms. Pabst is a monster. I never knew that "see (c) you (u) next (n) Tuesday (t)" started with a K, but Pabst has changed that perception for me. She is a disgusting piece of work and a horrible human being. If Missoula wants to be represented by this bitch, then that is all I will ever need to know about that back-water, knuckle-dragging, cesspool of a town. The last thing I have to say to this contemptible piece of shit, is Karma is a nasty bitch and I cannot wait until she comes back to bite you in the ass.
To the victims who so bravely shared their stories with Krakauer, my sincerest apologies for what you were put through. I bow to you in awe for your courage, grit and fortitude to stay the course. I wish grace and peace for you and the healing you so rightly deserve.
To Krakauer, bravo fine man! You have again shown that you are a writer of integrity and fearlessness. The truth always comes out and I am honored to be able to read the same from your pen.
To everyone...this is a MUST READ book - if you are a woman, if you have a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a mother- you must read this book and raise your voice in collective outrage over the treatment of our fellow sisters. Godspeed. ...more

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Apr 26, 2015 Esil rated it really liked it · review of another edition

In Toronto, we are currently being inundated with news of the trial of Jian Ghomeshi. He was a radio personality on Canada's public radio who was dismissed last year after stories surfaced about assaults involving many women. From the get go, he claimed that he was into rough sex and that the women had consented. Ultimately, charges were laid in relation to assaults on three women, and the trial has just finished this week. Every day for the past two weeks, we have been bombarded with informatio ...more

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Jan 15, 2016 Idarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: true-crime

“Rape is the most unreported serious crime in the nation.”

Wow, the author’s note mentioned that some portions of this book would be hard to read, and I did find that to be the case. Krakauer takes the high rate of reported sexual assaults in college towns, and hones in on the small college town of Missoula, Montana. Between 2010 and 2012, he introduces us to half a dozen cases of rape and sexual assault. Some made national headlines, as several members of the college football team were implicate ...more

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Jun 13, 2016 Paquita Maria Sanchez added it

Shelves: actuals-n-factuals

If I were to be asked what is my most inconsistent position, my greatest double-standard, the dissonance which keeps cognitively challenging me, it would be my stance on prison and sexual assault. First off, I am horrified by our modern day equivalent to slavery, sympathize deeply with inmates (especially, but not limited to, nonviolent inmates), and wish we had a better way. A better mental health care system, vastly expanded social services, educational and vocational programs for those who ge If I were to be asked what is my most inconsistent position, my greatest double-standard, the dissonance which keeps cognitively challenging me, it would be my stance on prison and sexual assault. First off, I am horrified by our modern day equivalent to slavery, sympathize deeply with inmates (especially, but not limited to, nonviolent inmates), and wish we had a better way. A better mental health care system, vastly expanded social services, educational and vocational programs for those who get caught up in the legal grind, proper healthcare, dramatically reduced sentences, no jail time for drugs or solicitation or any other victimless crime, reintegration efforts on a massive scale, etc. Voting rights, ffs. Life sentences destroy hope, which destroys the person. The death penalty is uncivilized, revolting, and should have been globally obliterated centuries ago. I feel sheer revulsion for the fact that sexual assault in prisons has been accepted-not-accepted as some kind of just punishment, this apparently horrifyingly under-prevented tragedy which keeps on keeping on as a product of willful disregard at best. I don't want anyone to be sexually assaulted, not even sexual predators.

At the same time, when I hear about things like the Stanford case, my unmediated response is "Lock that monster up forever. Swallow the key and shit it out in the deepest hole you can find." Now, I still don't want him to be violated (because violation in that way is dehumanizing and can be worse than just murdering someone in certain cases), but I also don't want him just pouncing around with his sense of machismo entitlement, ruining more beautiful people's lives. Basically, the issue seems one of ideals vs. current realities. Our problematic polarities of masculinity and femininity have created a predator/prey dynamic which falls outside the realm of the reform that is within our grasp at this present moment. When a person goes on a serial killing spree, it is easy enough to say "That person is crazy, that person needs help." Of course, that is also the product of rampant masculinity, but in conjunction with a very clear mental impairment. When a pack of football-playing wolves go hunting women like sport, drugging and raping them like the pieces of excrement in this book do just for a bit of fun on the weekend, for notches, for bro-points, it is something else entirely. It is a societal wound, a bigger thing than one insanity. It doesn't feel like something you can remedy case-by-case, because these fuckers are the Hydra. But I am also just rationalizing my own inconsistencies.

I guess I just feel like, until we as a culture decide to move forward with progressive approaches to crime-prevention and gender equality, of teaching our society that no one is of greater or lesser value than the next one, the only thing we have to possibly prevent spoiled shitbags from stalking the sea of young ladies like a pack of piranhas is the deterrent of incarceration. Or at the very least, we could treat all criminals in the same shitty way, even if they happen to be rich caucasian athletes. Please don't let them get raped in prison, though. Rape sucks. That was kind of the point. ...more

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Nov 18, 2016 Bren rated it really liked it

Shelves: dark-and-heavy, read-and-reviewed, montana, educational, non-fiction, drama-tearjerker, true-crime, social-issues, legal-non-fiction, great-for-book-clubs

“Most women are all too familiar with men like Calvin Smith. Men whose sense of prerogative renders them deaf when women say, "No thanks," "Not interested," or even "Fuck off, creep.”
― Jon Krakauer, Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

This book is so important to read. It is a stunning look at college rape and our justice system. It will most likely make the reader both sad and pretty angry.

When I think of Montana, I think of pure, wild beauty. The kind of place as close to p ...more

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Apr 21, 2015 Carol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, read-2015, ebook, true-crime

What an excruciating eye-opener! If you do not trust authorities now, reading this true account of the numerous unreported crimes and sexual assaults on a Missoula, Montana college campus will not improve your confidence.

The statistics are baffling and the procedures deplorable not only for the University of Montana, but the Missoula Police Department and Missoula County Attorney's Office as well who all failed to do their jobs. It is a shame that politics and football games became the greater i

...more

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Apr 22, 2019 Malia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-of-2019, non-fiction

I read this book over the course of a weekend. It was so compelling and infuriating, I couldn't put it down. I won't summarize the contents, but suffice to say, it deals with upsetting subject matter and though it's a few years old now, is extremely relevant (I guess it would be relevant at all times in history, sadly). The author handled the subject with great care, attention and compassion and I am sure I will read more by him in the future. Recommended!

Find more reviews and bookish fun at htt ...more

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Nov 21, 2016 Whitney Atkinson rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: feminism, made-me-cry, for-class

3.5 stars

This would have been 4 stars but it got very dry near the end. I loved how informative this is and for the most part is was very impactful and dark and an important read, but the legal process took up a huge chunk of this book and although I know it's important to understand how the justice system works in order to perceive its corruption, I had to skim some of those parts. However, I thought the women's stories were very brave and I hope this book doesn't scare people away from reporti ...more

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Apr 11, 2017 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it

Shelves: location-usa-missouri, read2017, sharp, higher-ed

This is not an easy read. I read it slowly, partly because of the difficulty of the content, partly because I read it in pockets of free time at work.

In the conclusion to Missoula, Jon Krakauer writes:

"...I was angry with myself for being so uninformed... I resolved to learn what I could about [rape.] I did a lot of reading, and sought out rape survivors who were willing to share their stories. Writing this book was an outgrowth of that quest.

As the scope of my research expanded, I was stunned

"...I was angry with myself for being so uninformed... I resolved to learn what I could about [rape.] I did a lot of reading, and sought out rape survivors who were willing to share their stories. Writing this book was an outgrowth of that quest.

As the scope of my research expanded, I was stunned to discover that many of my acquaintances, and even several women in my own family, had been sexually assaulted by men they trusted. The more I listened to these women's accounts, the more disturbed I became. I'd had no idea that rape was so prevalent, or could cause such deep and intractable pain. My ignorance was inexcusable, and it made me ashamed."

To which I am trying to hold back a *facepalm.* At least he stopped, at least he listened, at least he learned. And then focused in on the college town of Missoula, MT, because of the attention it received in the early 2010s for several rape cases. Early on in the book, Krakauer demonstrates that while the media afforded this specific location with a lot of attention, adding urgency in dealing with the cases (some of the time), the statistics in Missoula are not in any higher than anywhere else in the United States. Sexual assault, or "sexual intercourse without consent" as it is defined in Montana, is prevalent, and often unreported.

"Only between 5 percent and 20 percent of forcible rapes in the United States are reported tot he police; a paltry 0.4 percent to 5.4 percent of rapes are ever prosecuted; and just 0.2 percent to 2.8 percent of forcible rapes culminate in a conviction that includes any time in jail for the assailant. Here's another way to think about these numbers: When an individual is raped in this country, more than 90 percent of the time the rapist gets away with the crime."

Unfortunately a look at the cases Krakauer focuses on demonstrates on why so many people do not report. Many people in the system blame victims for rape in ways victims of other crimes would never be questioned. Professionals from police to university administrators to the DA seemed to buy into the rhetoric of false claims and refusing to see it as a problem. Krakauer points to the flaws in these particular cases, but also to the pain and trauma experienced by the people who report, are exposed in the media, are forced to relive their experiences in testimony, and still may not see justice.

Krakauer also attempts to untangle stereotypes about rape, particularly those surrounding false claims, and how frequently a person is raped by someone they know and trust (and what that does to your psyche) compared to "stranger" rape. Because of my role on campus, when I was in the middle of reading this book I attended a workshop led by David Lisak, and returned to the next chapter to find him as an expert witness on trauma and sexual assault in at least one of these cases (elsewhere in the book he is quoted on his research into serial rapists, numbers I know from his presentation, which I hope I will remember to add to this review when I have my notes in front of me.)

From the title, I was expecting more of this book to be about Title IX and dealing with sexual assault on college campuses, but it is really about how the criminal justice system handles these kinds of crimes. I suspect this is because it is easier to gain access to criminal proceedings than academic disciplinary hearings. He does refer to academic hearings, particularly in how the requirements for conviction differ from being found "responsible" at an institution. ...more

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Apr 19, 2015 LeeAnne rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, true-crime

Just saw this:
Breaking News
BAYLOR University lawsuit alleges during a 4 year period, 31 football players committed:
* 52 acts of rape
* 5 gang rapes
* 2 or more gang rapes by 10 or more players at one time

read more here: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/baylor...

MISSOULA:
RAPE AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN A COLLEGE TOWN
By John Krakauer

***********FIRST: A "MUST READ" ARTICLE***********

Vanderbilt University football players video recorded themselves gang raping an unconscious female student: http://ww ...more

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Apr 23, 2015 Perry rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

Alarming, Infuriating and Disheartening (especially for father of two 17-year-old daughters heading to college next fall)[Oct. 19, 2016]

University of Montana in Missoula

Montana Grizzlies college football team, Member, NCAA Division I, Football Championship Subdivision

MISSOULA is Jon Krakauer's thorough and enlightening examination of the paramount, yet largely publicly opaque, problem of rape on college campuses nationwide (mainly by acquaintances). JK takes a narrative look at the specifics (ma ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Matthew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, non-fiction, library, audio, gr_awards_2015, true-crime

The scenarios discussed in this book were well researched. If you are looking for a book that gives an unbiased view of all sides of the rape issue, this is not it; this definitely focuses on the victim and the tendency of the law and society to side with the attacker (I am not giving my opinion as to whether that is good or bad, it just is so I thought I would mention it). For me, Krakauer has written some great books and some frustrating books. This leans toward the frustrating side mainly bec ...more

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Feb 25, 2015 Julie Ehlers rated it really liked it

Shelves: feminism-and-gender, nonfiction

I attended Catholic school for grades 7 through 12, so I was just in time for “sex education” Catholic-style, which basically consists of letting you know that nothing is permitted: no masturbation, no sex outside of marriage, no gay sex (obviously), and, even within church-sanctioned heterosexual marriage, no birth control. Back then, the nuns and priests seemed to think it was a given that all the girls wanted to wait until marriage, and there was no acknowledgment that we might have any sexua I attended Catholic school for grades 7 through 12, so I was just in time for “sex education” Catholic-style, which basically consists of letting you know that nothing is permitted: no masturbation, no sex outside of marriage, no gay sex (obviously), and, even within church-sanctioned heterosexual marriage, no birth control. Back then, the nuns and priests seemed to think it was a given that all the girls wanted to wait until marriage, and there was no acknowledgment that we might have any sexual desires of our own that we were dealing with. The boys, on the other hand, were assumed to be raging masses of hormones who would always want to be doing it. Our job, as girls, was to prevent them from having their way with our virtue. I distinctly remember Sister Marie Pauline saying to us girls, “You are going to have to be the one to put on the brakes and say ‘no.’ A boy can’t do that.” A boy CAN’T do that, she said. So in other words, even though we, as females, have no sexual desires to speak of, whatever happens, we are somehow responsible for the whole thing. That’s a pretty neat trick, getting us to believe that. Looking back, this was terrible preparation for having the healthy sex life that everyone (even Catholics) deserves, but it was great preparation for the actual world, where somehow women really ARE responsible for everything that happens. You see this in fundamentalist countries where women have to stay covered at all times because men allegedly can’t control themselves. And you see it in supposedly secular cultures, where what a woman is wearing, where she goes and what time it is when she goes there, what she drinks, what she says at any time, and whether she happens to fall asleep or pass out can all lead to her being responsible for her own sexual assault. This is another message women get at a young age—we’ve all gotten long lists of things we should and shouldn’t do if we want to avoid being raped: Don’t talk to people you don’t know. Don’t get drunk around other people, even people you know. Don’t leave your drink unattended. Don’t walk alone late at night. Don’t dress provocatively. Carry a whistle. Carry pepper spray. Carry mace. Seem confident. Don’t seem distracted. Lace your car keys between your fingers to form a makeshift brass knuckle (wonder how well that would work?). Meanwhile, for a long time there seemed to be no corresponding lessons for young men regarding seeing women as human beings and respecting their boundaries. Even now, when some colleges give date-rape workshops at freshman orientation, it’s safe to say not everyone takes it as seriously as they should.

Of course, if you’re a woman, you can follow every guideline perfectly and still get raped, and when you do, there are going to be people who blame you. Many people seem unwilling to believe that a man (despite the uncontrollable sexual desires we all seem to agree they have) would actually rape a woman, but many of us apparently find it extremely easy to believe not only that a woman brought it on herself, but also that, even if the woman is a decent, responsible human being they’ve known for years, she would have no problem falsely accusing someone of a serious crime and going through the entire resulting legal ordeal. As a culture, we continue to put all the responsibility on the woman. Indeed, one of the most frustrating things about our rape culture is that women are not united about this the way you’d think we would be. There are clearly plenty of women out there who feel that if they, personally, have never been date-raped, the women who say they have been must have done something, been irresponsible in some way, that allowed it to happen. Combine this with the fact that few men seem willing to call out egregious behavior in other men, and it’s no wonder this issue never goes away.

All of this has been written about over and over and over again, in many, many books and articles—but never by Jon Krakauer. One of Jon Krakauer’s many gifts as a writer and reporter is to make you feel what he wants you to feel. When I read Into the Wild, I became so upset by the idea of someone being completely alone and knowing they were going to die that I had to hide the book when I finished it. After I finished Into Thin Air, I vividly recall feeling a bizarre, inexplicable anxiety and having to talk myself back into believing everything was OK. I’ve read several books about rape, many of which contain stories just as upsetting as the ones detailed here, but I don’t think any of them brought me to tears the way this one did. If anyone can change the way we, as a culture, feel about rape and about women’s sexuality, it’s probably Jon Krakauer, so maybe this book is some kind of hopeful sign. I wonder why I still feel so pessimistic.
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Apr 19, 2015 Debbie "DJ" rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Huh? Oh Goodreads, I did write a review for this. Why are you in my currently reading? Well, from what I remember now, I really loved this one. This book follows three different cases in Missoula, all involving the city's god-like football team, and the women they raped. What I liked most was the focus on how society often looks at the woman's actions. Was she drunk, did she actually say no? Oh, and yes, it is rape if a person is unconscious. I also liked how the woman's actions after a rape are ...more

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Feb 25, 2015 Snotchocheez rated it it was amazing

Motivated by a close friend's acquaintance rape, Jon Krakauer's decidedly victim-centric account of a string of rapes at the University of Montana at Missoula in the late 2000s through 2013 is a compelling, well-researched look at the factors that comprised this "epidemic".

We learn that the rates of sexual assault and rape at U of Montana are not much different than other colleges and universities across the nation. As is the case nearly everywhere, so many victims opt not to report the crime t ...more

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Jul 02, 2015 Diane Yannick rated it it was ok

I was astounded that John Krakauer was capable of writing such a lousy book. I understand the need to put a national spotlight on acquaintance rape, the rape culture of colleges, the attitude of student athletes, and the unwillingness of many officials to hear women's voices. Krakauer reinforced statistics about how many rapists are never held accountable (90%) and how many women actually do lie about being raped (less than 10%). I realize that Missoula was used as a typical college and that he ...more

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Feb 14, 2015 Dawn rated it it was amazing

"When an individual is raped in this country, more than 90 percent of the time the rapist gets away with the crime."

Read this book.

I read this book because Jon Krakauer. A good reason, but there are so many more reasons to read this book.

On a personal note, this was an incredibly painful read for me. No book or movie or tv program has ever affected me this strongly. I always thought trigger warnings were pretty much bullshit. I don't anymore, as I sit here with this just-finished book on my lap, ...more

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About Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer

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Jon Krakauer is an American writer and mountaineer, well-known for outdoor and mountain-climbing writing.

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“It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and remembering….” — 38 likes

“Rape and war, she explained are among the most common causes of post-traumatic stress disorder, and survivors of sexual assault frequently exhibit many of the same symptoms and behaviors as survivors of combat: flashbacks, insomnia, nightmares, hypervigilance, depression, isolation, suicidal thoughts, outbursts of anger, unrelenting anxiety, and an inability to shake the feeling that the world is spinning out of control.” — 21 likes

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