Missoula by Jon Krakauer deals with some very difficult subjects, especially rape and sexual assault, which some readers might find hard to read – I read it in instalments rather than in one big chunk for that reason.
The author is an investigative journalist and I have previously read some of his previous writing – see here, here and here for my reviews of some of his other books. I heard Missoula recommended on some podcasts about books that I used to listen to while commuting and when I realised that it was by an author I liked I obtained a copy second-hand from an online seller which, of course, I have left unread for far too long. My copy is an American paperback and so it is a little larger than my usual books, but it is in excellent condition.
Missoula is a town in the American state of Montana. It’s a town dominated by its college, the University of Montana, and especially the football team – both are an important part of the town’s culture and economy. In 2008 several accusations of rape were made against players on the football team by young women students, this was picked up by the media and eventually there was an investigation of the town’s processes by the Department of Justice.
The author tells this story from the point of view of the young women victims. He tells us what happened to them and then examines how the University and the police dealt with the claims. The stories obviously raise issues and the author, therefore, has to talk about the mythologies of rape and why so few successful prosecutions are brought.
This is a very thought-provoking book and it is also a very frightening one. The police appeared to be working under many misapprehensions about how and why rape happens, and to have worked under the assumption that most of the victims were making up their stories. When cases were referred for prosecution the legal staff of the town often refused to take them to court for fear of spoiling an excellent winning record. Undue deference was given to the men involved and the women were often left with lifelong trauma. The town itself gained an unsavoury reputation.
The truth is that Missoula had no more reported cases of sexual assault than any other American college town. What it did have was a culture and system where a few people were determined not to take these cases further, for a variety of reasons. In that, the author shows us, it is not that much different from other small towns.
This is an excellent book. It shares the stories of the women and follows the proceedings, not all of which have the desired outcome. The author shows where the rape myths affected how cases were investigated and how justice hasn’t always been served. The book is about America so we know that the legal procedures are not the same, however, the underlying motives and mistakes are almost certainly replicated in other towns and cities in many places.
I have a growing collection of true crime books and I shall keep this one on the shelf with them.
Anne Is Reading 