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Against Our Will - Men, Women and Rape (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Kraft-Ebing, who pioneered in the study of sexual disorders, had little to say about rape..." (more)
Key Phrases: precipitant behavior, heroic rapist, sex crime squad, New York, World War, United States (more...)

3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)

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Library Binding $24.95 Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks. Published June 25, 2008 Library Binding: A very durable hardcover binding (rarely comes with a dust jacket).	Library Binding, June 25, 2008	$24.95	$24.95	$30.91
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Paperback $10.85 In Stock. Published May 10, 1993	Paperback, May 10, 1993	$10.85	$7.90	$2.52
Paperback Available from these sellers. Published January 1, 1975	Paperback, January 1, 1975	--	$7.00	$2.50
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Mass Market Paperback Available from these sellers. Published December 31, 1975 Mass Market Paperback: A smaller paperback commonly used for bestsellers and genre fiction.	Mass Market Paperback, December 31, 1975	--	$4.32	$0.01

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"The most comrpehensive study of rape ever offered to the public...It forces readers to take a fresh look at their own attitudes toward this devastating crime."
NEWSWEEK
As powerful and timely now as when it was first published, AGAINST OUR WILL stands as a unique document of the history of politics, the sociology of rape and the inherent and ingrained inequality of men and women under the law. In lucid, persuasive prose, Brownmiller has created a definitive, devastating work of lasting social importance.
Chosen by THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW as
One of the Outstanding Books of the Year
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

"The most comrpehensive study of rape ever offered to the public...It forces readers to take a fresh look at their own attitudes toward this devastating crime."
NEWSWEEK
As powerful and timely now as when it was first published, AGAINST OUR WILL stands as a unique document of the history of politics, the sociology of rape and the inherent and ingrained inequality of men and women under the law. In lucid, persuasive prose, Brownmiller has created a definitive, devastating work of lasting social importance.
Chosen by THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW as
One of the Outstanding Books of the Year --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

Paperback
Publisher: Simon and Schuster (January 1, 1975)
ASIN: B00005VBJ7
Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces

Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,464,991 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
Kraft-Ebing, who pioneered in the study of sexual disorders, had little to say about rape. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
precipitant behavior, heroic rapist, sex crime squad, criminal rape, rape dreams, victim precipitation, interracial rape, corroboration requirement, raped virgin, rape complex, military brothels, raping white women, group rape, police rape, female masochism, assault with intent, rape rate

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, World War, United States, Helene Deutsch, Daily News, Red Army, Los Angeles, South Vietnamese, Uniform Crime Reports, Maria Goretti, Victoria Price, Boston Strangler, Communist Party, Fanny Kemble, Ruby Bates, Hell's Angels, Menachem Amir, Emmett Till, Jack the Ripper, Red Riding Hood, National Commission, New Orleans, Nez Perce, Rape of Nanking, Sand Creek

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 100 books:

Patterns in Forcible Rape by Menachem Amir on 6 pages
The Boston Strangler (Signet) by Gerald Frank on 4 pages
Rape Offenders and Their Victims by John Marshall MacDonald in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver on page 248, page 251, and Back Matter
Sexual Behavior in the Human Male by Alfred Charles Kinsey on page 276, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

See all 100 books this book cites

100 books cite this book:

Sex on the Couch: What Freud Still Has To Teach Us About Sex and Gender by Richard Boothby on page 127, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Watching Rape: Film and Television in Postfeminist Culture by Sarah Projansky in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
The Abuse of Power: A Theological Problem by James Poling in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
Romance and the "Yellow Peril": Race, Sex, and Discursive Strategies in Hollywood Fiction by Gina Marchetti on page 17, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Why America's Top Pundits Are Wrong: Anthropologists Talk Back (California Series in Public Anthropology, 13) by Catherine Besteman in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

See all 100 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

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Living With Contradictions: Controversies In Feminist Social Ethics

Living With Contradictions by Alison M Jaggar

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Criminology by Piers Beirne

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Customer Reviews

31 Reviews

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
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Average Customer Review

3.5 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)

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37 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars AN HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF RAPE, April 22, 2003

By	S. Calhoun "rhymeswithorange" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (Paperback)

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.

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23 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The enormity of such crimes still is overwhelming, May 25, 2004

By	Paul D. Harvill (Tallahassee, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (Paperback)

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.

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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the foremost works in the field, July 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (Paperback)

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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars racist
I am not looking for kudos from other readers (nor shouts of execration)--Brownmiller's discussion of the murder of Emmet Till is an outrage--she has also I believe gone on to... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Jack Cade

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny
Funny how all the single star reviews come from men - truth hurts doesn't it?
Rape is not a women's issue it is a problem with MEN and MEN need to do the work to fix it... Read more

Published 14 months ago by gwyllion the geat

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, a masterpiece
This book flows so well from topic to topic so seamlessly that one is surprised when one realizes the subject has changed completely. It is beautifully written and poignant. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Sara G. Harden

1.0 out of 5 stars The Start of Rape Hysteria
To whoever doesn't allow a negative review of this book, I must insist on my right to free speech. I've read the book and want to give my opinion on it. Read more

Published on September 12, 2007 by Michael

5.0 out of 5 stars An impartial view on the history of "comfort women" for soldiers
Recently I learned that Congressman Mike Honda (Dem, CA-15) introduced a resolution on Japan to apologize for WWII exploitation of "comfort women. Read more

Published on April 10, 2007 by Nobuya Noguchi

1.0 out of 5 stars A typical US-feminist publication
This book is typical for many of its kind, just a man-hating drivel from feminists...and otherwise good for nothing.

Published on February 12, 2006 by Johann

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, important subject
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... Read more

Published on April 18, 2005 by Stephen M. St Onge

1.0 out of 5 stars A Work That Will Live In Infamy
Some time in the future, historians will look back on the 2nd half of the 20th Century and wonder what spurred an otherwise enlightened society to lap up dreck like _Against Our... Read more

Published on April 13, 2005 by Michael Zimmers

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid four stars...
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... Read more

Published on April 12, 2004 by efoff

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of her time
Controversial? She said things noone dared say before her. She just put the subject on the wall. And all the nice reviews wouldn't have existed if Ms. Read more

Published on October 10, 2003 by Arthur Turton

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