Customer Reviews

Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Published in the midst of the second wave women's movement AGAINST OUR WILL remains an integral book in the feminist literary canon to the present day. Employing an historical analysis Brownmiller reveals in exquisite detail how some men have been subjugating some women since Biblical times. Her thesis of the use of rape during wartimes as an arsenal for the winning army is especially strong and admirable. This section alone deserves to be read by anyone interested in gender and women's studies as it clearly demonstrates how rape has been used to further antagonize and horrify the defeated population. The utilization of rape during the World Wars, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Serbia is certainly a difficult bit of knowledge to swallow. This book clearly demonstrates how rape has been used to keep some women on edge and weary of being both in public spaces and in their own homes.

Despite Brownmiller's important thesis I have several problems with AGAINST OUR WILL. Brownmiller has a tendency to over-emphasis her arguments with a deluge of statistics and case studies. It's almost as if she inserted every historical example she could find to further her arguments. Less is better in this instance. If she pared down her examples I believe her thesis wouldn't have been diluted in any such way. Another objection I have to AGAINST OUR WILL is her assertion of the following quote from her introduction, "Man's discovery that his genitalia could serve as a weapon to generate fear must rank as one of the most important discoveries of prehistoric times...[Rape] is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear". My problem with this passage is two-fold. First, I think it is mundane and questionable to argue that man's discovery of rape ranks high next to the discovery of fire, etc. I also have clear problems with Brownmiller's assertion that *all* men contemplate rape to keep *all* women in a constant state of fear. It is clear that there are variations of fear and victimization in the general population. Brownmiller argued this every point later in her book when she discussed issues of class and race. To generalize this phenomenon to every man and woman is dangerous in itself. I consider myself to be a feminist but I strongly dispute some of Brownmiller's arguments.

Overall, AGAINST OUR WILL is an important book to read but please be careful not to consume all of the author's arguments at face value.

Brownmiller's book gives a detailed account of the historical and cultural origins of rape. She gives insight to the causes of this heinous phenomenon. Brownmiller writes with an honesty that is absolutely necessary when dealing with rape, however this same honesty may cause some defensive males to take offense. Brownmiller's book requires us to take a critical look at rape and urges us to take action.

For an excellent read on the topic of rape and war, please read "Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape" by Susan Brownmiller. The enormity of such crimes is well documented by Brownmiller.

When I read the book in the late 1970s, my understanding of the sexual abuse consequences of war left me overwhelmed by the agony of millions of women through the ages. Upon re-reading it years later, the impact of the book still left me devastated.

I remember when AGAINST OUR WILL came out, and people quoted any of a half-dozen lines from it, especially 'Rape is the conscious conspiracy by which all men keep all women in subjugation.' I dismissed it as the work of a crank.

Then, a few years later, I had to read it for a college class. Surprise! Cross out the half-dozen oft-quoted lines, and what was left was very good and thoughtful.

I could make other criticisms of the book (for example, any volume that explores rape by soldiers, and doesn't mention the Red Army in WWII has a serious problem), but it remains a classic exploration of a subject almost ignored before it was published. It's very much worth reading.

Ms. Brownmiller's groundbreaking work on rape may be a little dated, and some of her more esoteric points incorrect, but for the most part this is an excellent, well written book.

Others have gone into detail about the strengths of this book, but I want to particularly point out her highlighting of the Bangladesh invasion, and how Pakistan used rape as a cultural weapon. Since that time, the former Yugoslavian Republics, numerous central African nations, and many far east nations have adopted the same practice. Ms. Brownmiller explains why such an action is truly a human rights violation of the first order, and deserves more attention than what it gets.

Ms. Brownmiller's one failing, though, is her assertion that rape only exists among humans, and does not exist in any other realm of the animal kingdom. I believe she is incorrect, but that is a small point.

The strongest point in Against Our Will is when Ms. Brownmiller contrasts the film reviews regarding the numerous rape scenes from "A Clockwork Orange," with the reviewers' description of Ned Beatty's rape scene in "Deliverance." While film reviewers fell all over themselves about "fullfillment" and eroticism in "Clockwork," somehow nothing fulfilling nor erotic occured in Deliverance. Now that's a pretty clear double standard.

This book has been around a long time--but it still has something to say. Ms. Brownmiller is a good writer, and the book moves well. Most high schoolers should not have any trouble reading it--and I think most of them (boys & girls) should. It would serve as a wonderful starting point for discussion of contemporary sex roles.

This book is as ground-breaking today as it was in 1975. Brownmiller systematically identifies and combats the many rape myths which have long kept both women and men in chains and in doing so, illustrates just exactly how much work anti-rape activists have ahead. By approaching the subject of rape in political terms, she challenges the reader to examine their own thoughts and experiences in a new light. This book is a daring and unapologetic appeal to people everywhere to rethink everything we ever thought we knew about sexual violence.

It is best to keep the following in mind while reading "Against Our Will": At the time this book was written, it was absolutely ground-breaking. In a time when rape was largely not discussed, brushed under the carpet, and assumed to happen to women who may have "deserved" or "invited" it, it took a frank and honest--if rather vicious and occsionally slightly maniacal--look at what many women secretly believed, feared, and needed to say about rape and male/female sexual dynamics.

This book is hard for me to read. I had to take breaks in-between chapters, as I found myself becoming frustrated and angry at times. It is very true that fear of rape (ie: sexual violence) in itself can opress women. But this is not to say that men do this on purpose (okay, well the author does say it's deliberate, but take that with a grain of salt...). Men (and women) who are reading this should not see the statements as accusatory, but honest. Guys, we know (well most of us know) that this is not necessarily a purposeful thing...it is not conscious...but outright denying it only lets it go on, unchecked.


Now, I didn't give full stars for one important reason...the author often draws comparisons between humans and other animals that are honestly just completely crap. Her history and humanities is really spot-on (for the most part), but she is WAY off with most of what she states about rape in the animal kingdom. But that being said, it was a different time and they knew waaay less back then.

Again, keep that in mind people...this is an OLD book, and it is wonderful (if painful), but it is hard and brutal and one-sided because it needed to be to get people talking. If you want to learn more about the subject, look for more modern literature.

And seriously guys, stop getting so defensive over discussion about rape. No one is accusing you of being a rapist by virtue of being a man. Well, okay, some are...but you should probably not worry about that because they're kind of insane.

Just finished reading "Against our will..."
I believe this book ought to be read by all men, and women alike, if one is to evolve as an individual, as well as communally for a better World. Eye opening...

One does not need to agree with everything in the book.
The value of this thought provoking, well documented work lies in its ability to introduce the reader to present and historical aspects of this heinous, primitive crime, resulting in increased awareness- the single, most important necessary factor for potential change, first in thought, and eventually behavior.

Read it, and think for yourself.

P.S. If you wonder, yes, I'm a man.

Yours,
Ajax

This is a book that should be read by anyone concerned with the issue of domestic violence. However, it is dated and filled with information that is without any basis of fact. To write that rape is nothing more or less than a concious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear is the type of language that feeds the fire of further gender wars and provides no resolution to the problem. The low point of the book has to be when she claims that men see Jack the Ripper as a "Hero." She writes that, "No zoologist, as far as I know, has ever observed than animals rape in their natural habitat, the wild." Many studies, often by women, reveal that animals in the wild not only rape, the kill their male foes and eat their children. She wants police departments to be 50-50 men and women. Less than 10% of applicants for most police departments are women. She claims male on male rapes in prisions are "homosexual rapes" and I suppose I could go on and on but I will not. The real and only importance of the book is that she produces more than enough evidence to demonstrate that rape must be treated as a crime and that rape is a real problem for women. She of course neglects to write that almost one out of every five victims of rape is male.

The heart of this book is a statement early on (Page 15): "From prehistoric times to the present, I believe, rape has played a critical function. It is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear.

This book traces the thesis from ancient civilization to the present. Early (Pages 18-19), she refers to the Code of Hammurabi as well as Scripture. In turn, the book unfolds as follows: rape and war; rape and revolution; Indians and slavery and rape; gangs and rape; and so on. Much of the material is painful to read. She notes that rape is often experienced differently by men as opposed to women. Indeed, in the last chapter, Brownmiller addresses the concept of rape within marriage (using Soames' rape of Irene in "The Forsyte Saga" as an example).

How to address the matter? She speaks of harsher penalties within the legal system, limiting pornography, and trying to limit prostitution.

The most provocative aspect of this book is its claim that rape, in essence, is political, a threat (or actuality) that keeps women "in their place." The evidence for this? In this volume, it is only anecdotal. Brownmiller develops a fascinating thesis, but we would need evidence to render judgment. Indeed, I once used a survey of college students to determine if there were political effects among women, based on any experienced rape or on the fear of being raped. Results were inconclusive, but more work is probably warranted.

At any rate, a powerful book. Whether or not one agree with the thesis, it provokes thinking about important issues. And that is a contribution in itself.