![Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by [Krakauer, Jon]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51u5Hr%2B9GKL._SY346_.jpg)
Audible book:
Amazon.com Review
An Amazon Best Book of April 2015: Toward the end of this powerful, absorbing book, best-selling author Jon Krakauer quotes a jury member as she sums up popular assumptions about sexual assault: “(1) A stranger jumps out from the bushes; (2) There is no (assault) unless the woman puts up a fight, to the death if necessary.” The truth is much different—assaults by acquaintances are by far the most common form of the crime. In Missoula, Krakauer examines one community’s struggle with such accusations, shining a bright light on a problem that frequently goes underreported and is all-too-easy to sweep under the rug. Not only must victims contend with the after-effects of the crime, they must often face doubting police, antagonistic lawyers, and the whims of popular opinion. Some of the reported assaults in Krakauer’s book involved members of the University of Montana’s beloved Grizzly football team. Using facts and documentation balanced by interviews and courtroom drama, he builds a gem of narrative nonfiction that will educate and incite. As the story builds, culminating in two different trials with two different outcomes, readers will find themselves consumed by the factual and emotional complexities of the subject. No page turner this year will be more incendiary than Missoula. – Chris Schluep
Review
— Los Angeles Times
"Excellent.... Krakauer doesn't just tell the story of these crimes. As he has done so brilliantly in his other books...he sets the story firmly in the context of social history."
— Boston Globe
“[A] narrative nonfiction page-turner.... Missoula demonstrates that it’s not only possible but advantageous for reporters to remain clear-eye while also taking victims’ concerns into account. Krakauer skillfully strengthens his sources’ recollections without taking away their agency. He doesn’t hide from complexity or nuance.”
— Katie Baker, BuzzFeed
"[E]xpertly researched.... Equal parts riveting and horrifying, it's a hell of a read--and a necessary one."
— People
“[M]eticulously reported, fascinating and deeply disturbing.... By probing the specific, Krakauer illuminates upsetting generalities..... Krakauer—a journalist who is also a compelling writer—artfully keeps the books from becoming a compendium of facts..... It’s an important, difficult and timely subject.”
— USA Today
“A good and needed thing.... [P]owerful.... Krakauer tells a sad an infuriating story.... Krakauer has done a great service by taking on this subject.”
— Newsweek
“[A] case study of the widespread problem of campus rape.... For anyone distressed by the high rate of sexual assault afflicting young woman, and who wants to understand some of the ways in which the justice system fails them—and shouldn’t that be all of us?—Krakauer’s book is worth reading.”
— Time
"[A] devestating exposé of colleges and local law enforcement when it comes to investigating and prosecuting campus sex crimes.... [A] substantive deep dive into the morass of campus sex crimes, where the victim is too often treated like the accused."
— Entertainment Weekly
“[S]crupulously reported... The depth of [Krakauer’s] reporting...illustrates just how difficult it can be for victims to get justice.”
— Salon
"[R]elentless, exhaustive.... Krakauer does not pretend to be scooping anyone. Instead, he systematically details the many myths surrounding rape and the many ways in which our society mistreats victims long after the actual assault."
— Outside
"[C]lear and dispassionate, offering level-headed, in-depth reportage.... [T]he disquieting fact running through Krakauer's narrative is this: Missoula is typical."
— Chicago Tribune
"[A]n impassioned study of campus rape.... Krakauer’s evocative reporting, honed to a fine edge of anger, vividly conveys the ordeal of victims and their ongoing psychological dislocations. The result is a hard-hitting true-crime expose that looks underneath the he-said-she-said to get at the sexist assumptions that help cover up and enable these crimes.”
— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
From the Hardcover edition.
