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Roll Red Roll: Rape, Power, and Football in the American Heartland
A thoughtfully reported narrative about a rape case at the center of a deeply polarized steel town in the American Midwest, exploring what creates a culture where sexual violence is tacitly understood and condoned, and how to make a difference.
On a summer night in 2012, a sixteen year-old girl incapacitated by alcohol was repeatedly assaulted by Steubenville, Ohio high school football stars, all of it documented on Twitter, YouTube, and through text and voice messages. Like everyone else in Steubenville, Jane Doe learned of the crimes committed on her body via social media. Many of the photos and videos from that night were deleted, but not before being captured and shared by a crime blogger, after which they went viral—putting Steubenville on the national stage.
In Roll Red Roll, Nancy Schwartzman offers a broader understanding of rape culture, weaving memory and new testimony from a decade's research into the event and town, taking readers beyond Steubenville to look at America as a whole. For readers of Jon Krakauer's Missoula and Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s She Said,Roll Red Roll unpacks the factors that create communities which engender systemic disdain for women and normalize sexual assault. Schwartzman proposes ways to unlearn the norms of a society that too often sacrifices its daughters for the sake of protecting its sons.
On a summer night in 2012, a sixteen year-old girl incapacitated by alcohol was repeatedly assaulted by Steubenville, Ohio high school football stars, all of it documented on Twitter, YouTube, and through text and voice messages. Like everyone else in Steubenville, Jane Doe learned of the crimes committed on her body via social media. Many of the photos and videos from that night were deleted, but not before being captured and shared by a crime blogger, after which they went viral—putting Steubenville on the national stage.
In Roll Red Roll, Nancy Schwartzman offers a broader understanding of rape culture, weaving memory and new testimony from a decade's research into the event and town, taking readers beyond Steubenville to look at America as a whole. For readers of Jon Krakauer's Missoula and Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s She Said,Roll Red Roll unpacks the factors that create communities which engender systemic disdain for women and normalize sexual assault. Schwartzman proposes ways to unlearn the norms of a society that too often sacrifices its daughters for the sake of protecting its sons.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 12, 2022
44 people are currently reading
2422 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
April 28, 2022
Wow. This was intense and heavy. I know people who were in this area at this time. This heartbreaking true story is so important to be aware of. The culture that fuels horrific crimes like this, and then covers them up just makes me sick to my stomach. There is so much in these pages to digest. To really really think about how this society around us works. It is one that will stay with me for a long time.
December 1, 2022
I was pretty familiar with this situation as it happened the same year as a young girl was raped in Maryville, MO, which is very close to where I grew up. So if you looked online for information about one case, the other one would come up, too. Same old crap: victim blaming, moaning about how we shouldn’t ruin the life of a promising young man over one “mistake”. Is there any other felony where people call it a “mistake” and say the perpetrator shouldn’t be punished for it? There’s never any consideration to how the life of the victim has been ruined. The one tiny bit of positive news in this book is that apparently the victim in the Steubenville case is doing well. I hope that’s true but I wonder. Sadly, the young lady from Maryville committed suicide a couple of years ago.
June 7, 2024
A lot to unpack with this one. Important reading.
April 2, 2022
This book takes a deep dive into the rape culture that permeates throughout America. It looks specifically into the 2012 Rape case of the Steubenville, Ohio Football players against an unconscious underage Jane Doe.
The author is a documentarian, and this was a book molded from that film.
the crime/book reads like a fast moving tornado out of control. Several times I wanted to yell at the people in the book. I wanted to slow that severe weather down for Jane Doe.
I was outraged at the callous attitude of the boys and even the adults. I was angry that the coach never got into trouble and was so disgusting.
The best part (how can any part be the best when this is a tragic rape case?) was Attorney General, at the time Mike Dewine did go after the adults who helped to cover up this crime.
I loved that the author tied everything together to the way the football is structured (DOMINATE that ball, never take NO for an answer) to what we teach our daughters about sex, our bodies, and our place in society.
This book should be required reading for all HIGH school freshmen.
The end of the book is filled with things that all of us can do to prevent rape from occurring.
Bravo to the author for taking a deep dive into this case and really looking at it from all angles.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
The author is a documentarian, and this was a book molded from that film.
the crime/book reads like a fast moving tornado out of control. Several times I wanted to yell at the people in the book. I wanted to slow that severe weather down for Jane Doe.
I was outraged at the callous attitude of the boys and even the adults. I was angry that the coach never got into trouble and was so disgusting.
The best part (how can any part be the best when this is a tragic rape case?) was Attorney General, at the time Mike Dewine did go after the adults who helped to cover up this crime.
I loved that the author tied everything together to the way the football is structured (DOMINATE that ball, never take NO for an answer) to what we teach our daughters about sex, our bodies, and our place in society.
This book should be required reading for all HIGH school freshmen.
The end of the book is filled with things that all of us can do to prevent rape from occurring.
Bravo to the author for taking a deep dive into this case and really looking at it from all angles.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
January 2, 2024
When this book about the Steubenville rape case is focused on events and people on the ground in Steubenville, it is absolutely riveting. And if I someone were curious about the phrase "rape culture," I'd suggest this book.
I can't help but think of Richard Dawkins mocking a young woman for writing about feeling scared while on an elevator at night in a foreign country with a man who would not leave her alone and her linking the problem to rape culture. He claimed there wasn't real rape culture in the West. In the Middle East, women were justified in using the phrase, not here, he said. Yet here's a case where an unconscious girl was gang raped and the boys involved shared photos of the assault on social media and mocked what happened to her, one even doing a live standup routine to the laughs and cheers of classmates while images of her body were being texted to him. I remember reading "news" coverage at the time about how the girl didn't want to press charges — not true — and how she was promiscuous and wanted it. And then there were the authorities and local media that sided with the boys — as well as most of the small town, wanting to protect the football program. The authors here point out that after the verdict came down, the female CNN anchor and reporter immediately talked about how the two boys' lives would be harmed and nothing about the effect on the girl. That's all rape culture.
The authors do a great job of capturing the bravery of the women who would not let the story be swept under the rug, as it was very much in danger of, and the local women who stood up publicly to talk about the decades of rape and abuse in the small, God-fearing Midwestern town.
I loved that it made a hero out of a blogger who revealed inside details and had saved screenshots of social media posts, videos and photos before they were deleted — a blogger who'd been dissed in a New Yorker article by Ariel Levy. She also points out that an Anonymous hacker who was helpful in breaking the story nationally and countering the town's support for the football players received a harsher sentence than the rapists.
Here's where I thought the book could've been better: It could've used more first-person reporting and a wider variety of sources. It leans a lot on TV and newspaper interviews. And there are two sections where the author goes a bit astray; in one, she shows how Steubenville is emblematic of a national issue by going into the town's economic collapse and in another, she gets into Trump's history of misogyny and his administration's efforts to dismantle Obama's programs fighting violence against women. (Such liberal attacks on Trump's predatory nature never mention Bill Clinton's extensive and well-documented predatory nature, too.)
But overall, the book was powerful. I enjoyed learning about the effective programs out there to help young people understand how to intervene when they see a sexual assault on the cusp of happening. And one thing that it definitely added to my own knowledge on this subject is how many school programs about consent and rape focus on stranger danger even though most sexual violence is perpetrated by friends and family, and thus requires different tactics than rape whistles and keys held between your fingers when walking to your car.
Here's an excerpt with perceptive media criticism about a Matt Lauer interview on the case:
Even if Today was asking the right questions, they also framed the story as a “sex scandal” to draw viewers in, feeding on rape myths. What does it mean to interview an alleged perpetrator on a major TV show, but not have anyone speak for Jane Doe or even mention her absence? To not have the victim, or a representative, present in this discussion to describe the impact of this assault, the emotional consequences and humiliations?
I can't help but think of Richard Dawkins mocking a young woman for writing about feeling scared while on an elevator at night in a foreign country with a man who would not leave her alone and her linking the problem to rape culture. He claimed there wasn't real rape culture in the West. In the Middle East, women were justified in using the phrase, not here, he said. Yet here's a case where an unconscious girl was gang raped and the boys involved shared photos of the assault on social media and mocked what happened to her, one even doing a live standup routine to the laughs and cheers of classmates while images of her body were being texted to him. I remember reading "news" coverage at the time about how the girl didn't want to press charges — not true — and how she was promiscuous and wanted it. And then there were the authorities and local media that sided with the boys — as well as most of the small town, wanting to protect the football program. The authors here point out that after the verdict came down, the female CNN anchor and reporter immediately talked about how the two boys' lives would be harmed and nothing about the effect on the girl. That's all rape culture.
The authors do a great job of capturing the bravery of the women who would not let the story be swept under the rug, as it was very much in danger of, and the local women who stood up publicly to talk about the decades of rape and abuse in the small, God-fearing Midwestern town.
I loved that it made a hero out of a blogger who revealed inside details and had saved screenshots of social media posts, videos and photos before they were deleted — a blogger who'd been dissed in a New Yorker article by Ariel Levy. She also points out that an Anonymous hacker who was helpful in breaking the story nationally and countering the town's support for the football players received a harsher sentence than the rapists.
Here's where I thought the book could've been better: It could've used more first-person reporting and a wider variety of sources. It leans a lot on TV and newspaper interviews. And there are two sections where the author goes a bit astray; in one, she shows how Steubenville is emblematic of a national issue by going into the town's economic collapse and in another, she gets into Trump's history of misogyny and his administration's efforts to dismantle Obama's programs fighting violence against women. (Such liberal attacks on Trump's predatory nature never mention Bill Clinton's extensive and well-documented predatory nature, too.)
But overall, the book was powerful. I enjoyed learning about the effective programs out there to help young people understand how to intervene when they see a sexual assault on the cusp of happening. And one thing that it definitely added to my own knowledge on this subject is how many school programs about consent and rape focus on stranger danger even though most sexual violence is perpetrated by friends and family, and thus requires different tactics than rape whistles and keys held between your fingers when walking to your car.
Here's an excerpt with perceptive media criticism about a Matt Lauer interview on the case:
Even if Today was asking the right questions, they also framed the story as a “sex scandal” to draw viewers in, feeding on rape myths. What does it mean to interview an alleged perpetrator on a major TV show, but not have anyone speak for Jane Doe or even mention her absence? To not have the victim, or a representative, present in this discussion to describe the impact of this assault, the emotional consequences and humiliations?
November 19, 2023
4.5 stars. Such an important read for anyone of any age. This story is heartbreaking at points and the views of some people in this day and age continues to gobsmack me
August 19, 2022
I kind of wish I had watched the documentary instead (and I probably still will go check it out!). This book is a bit simplistic and on the nose in its writing style. It's the first book I've read about the Steubenville case, so certainly it taught me a lot about the story I was unaware about (I had no idea how a blogger really brought this case to the mainstream). I remember when this all happened; I was a sophomore in college and recall the discussions about sexual assault. I feel like I would've gotten a lot out of this if this book had existed closer to the time I was that age. Since then, I've read so many books about justice for sexual assault survivors that worked so much better for me. Ultimately, the writing and the roundabout general discussions about patriarchal culture, the culture of rape myths, and politics more generally left me wanting a bit more nuance and subtlety.
July 29, 2022
I thought this was thought provoking and well written. My complaint is only that if you've watched the documentary this author made, you probably only need to read the last couple of chapters.
That said, I think that the doc and/or book should be required for high school freshmen. I already had my nephew watch it and will have my sons when they are old enough. If I had girls, I'd do the same thing. Super important.
That said, I think that the doc and/or book should be required for high school freshmen. I already had my nephew watch it and will have my sons when they are old enough. If I had girls, I'd do the same thing. Super important.
September 2, 2022
Well researched and in-depth look at the 2012 Steubenville Ohio high school rape case. An important read about rape-culture, the dangers of social media, and the necessity of a good sexual health curriculum in every school in the country.
July 16, 2022
It's weird to praise a book about rape. But Schwartzman's recounting is quite compelling and at no point feels like it's bogged down in legal or procedural minutiae following the opening description of the crime. It's never gratuitous, it's never schlock. Also, her unpacking of the dimensions of growing up in a small, declining town, with the unhealthy relation to football, all within a greater culture that devalues women and praises masculinity, is probably the best I've read.
It's possible to watch the documentary of the same name (which Schwartzman directed, a few years before). As of this review, it lives over on Amazon streaming (though the book mentions it's also on Netflix, but I couldn't find it there). Several of the quotes from the film are directly incorporated into the book. But the book gives a greater depth to what you see on the screen, and the last few chapters really give a summary of similar cases of the last decade that's largely absent from the film.
There's a reason people say that the book is better.
It's possible to watch the documentary of the same name (which Schwartzman directed, a few years before). As of this review, it lives over on Amazon streaming (though the book mentions it's also on Netflix, but I couldn't find it there). Several of the quotes from the film are directly incorporated into the book. But the book gives a greater depth to what you see on the screen, and the last few chapters really give a summary of similar cases of the last decade that's largely absent from the film.
There's a reason people say that the book is better.
January 21, 2023
Complete story that I only had part of the details to. The book is very well written with all the notes. Will eventually get to the documentary with the same title.
Read
February 13, 20244.4/5
June 30, 2025
This book blew me away. It dares to discuss the issue of rape culture in rural conservative America and how we continue to protect our boys while blaming our girls for sexual assault. It takes a deep dive not only into the crime committed by young boys in Steubenville, Ohio but the ongoing issue of victim blaming and sexism in this country.
This is a must read for everyone.
This is a must read for everyone.
September 5, 2022
This is a powerful book and a cautionary tale about group think and societal pressure to preserve community institutions no matter the cost. In Roll Red Roll, when football players from Steubenville High are accused of and convicted or rape, community members close ranks to protect their sacred football team and unfortunately as we see time and time again, blame the victim (who interestingly enough was not from their community). This book is a powerful indictment of rape culture, toxic masculinity and the men and (alarmingly) the women who enable and support this culture. What is particularly impactful about this book are the interviews she conducts with a variety of community members, coaches, families, whistleblowers, etc. There is definitely a sentiment of "boys will be boys" from the adults in the community that is highly disturbing. This book is a follow-up to a documentary she made and I want to watch that as well. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
August 8, 2022
This book started out as a pretty good offering. A small dying city in Ohio and the aftermath of a drunken rape situation involving some members of the football team. I was enjoying the book until I noticed a certain bias toward men's attitudes, Republican party and working class American's in general. By the end of the book, it was clear this was a political hit piece on Donald Trump as well as Brett Kavanaugh among others. While their supposed attitudes toward women were highlighted not a word was mentioned of a fellow named Bill Clinton, who violated many women while holding different public offices including President of the USA. My guess is that the author, Nancy Schwartzman, is following the far leftist, communist playbook currently popular in this country to further her career and get a invitation to join the elitist who run the Hollywood media. All in all, this could have been a good book but was nothing but crap.
May 5, 2022
This book needs to be in every high school. This book tells the true story of a 15 year old girl who was raped by two sophomores after a football game (both were members of the team). The author takes us through the events of the night and the charges and case that followed. The one thing that sticks with me, there were 50, 5-0 witnesses that night and not one of them stood up to protect that girl. Not only that, but the small town in Ohio became divided, with many of them blaming her.
This story makes me sad and we must do better to get rid of the rape culture that has taken over our boys and young men.
This story makes me sad and we must do better to get rid of the rape culture that has taken over our boys and young men.
October 22, 2022
This started out as an interesting book with an important subject matter. What it turned into was the author invoking her ideology and comparing Christine Blasey Ford to the victim in this story. Schwartzman declares that Ford's story is true with absolutely no evidence. In fact, all evidence presented by people who would know points to Ford lying. Schwartzman does a grave disservice to the victim in this book and to all sexual assault victims. If she wanted to write a book based on her politics, then she should have stated that was what the book was about. Instead, she disguises it as a book about the rape crisis in sports and schools. Shame on her.
July 25, 2022
Excellent book u will not forget
Insightful and beautifully written. If this book doesn't piss you off about the ridiculously backward approach to government, womens rights and safe abortions, nothing will.
Excellent book - highly recommend if you care about womens safety, justice and kids.
Insightful and beautifully written. If this book doesn't piss you off about the ridiculously backward approach to government, womens rights and safe abortions, nothing will.
Excellent book - highly recommend if you care about womens safety, justice and kids.
August 27, 2022
This is a great book about a national rape story that I somehow missed. I’ll have to see the documentary that came first, also done by the author. The book is sad in a way that we still haven’t learned how to treat women and how people get away with such savage things. It’s a stunning book from beginning to end.
August 9, 2022
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I only knew a little bit about this story before reading this book and was surprised by everthing that happened. This book is wonderfully written and is a real eye opener of not only how far we've come, but how much more we still need to go and fight for.
August 23, 2022
Oof. This book was tough. Unfortunately not at all shocking, yet still horrifying. The lack of remorse or empathy was so hard to read about, and the fact that there was no real hope to end on…information and telling stories remains so important, but this story felt all too normal.
July 5, 2022
Very powerful.
October 5, 2023
Made mistake of not reading the full synopsis. Thought it was a book about the crime. Not about a far left feminist opinion on rape culture
October 9, 2023
Oh boy, am i glad i chose never to have children. If i were younger and raising high school students today, i would lock them in their bedrooms with no access to cell phones or social media so no harm can come to them, especially daughters.
This books is so well written and researched and my second difficult read this week because of the content. It’s a courageous book. I remember the story about the football players from a Friday Night Lights small town in Ohio who raped a young teen girl who was passed out while their friends took photos and video and shared them on social media. But i didn’t know all of the detail.
It’s unbelievable to me, and it should be to everyone, how the concrete evidence was dismissed by so many adults whose job it should be to protect the poor girl instead of the accusers. The book made me so angry about the stupidity of many of the the community members, including how adults and young folks view what constitutes rape, as they tried to pass it off as a ‘boys will be boys’ situation. THERE WAS FREAKING VIDEO AND AUDIO PROOF THAT THIS HAPPENED! Jokes were made. There was a lot of laughing on the video about how the girl was ‘trained’ and raped and one football player made joke after joke about the rape and how she looked dead , “deader than OJ’s wife”. His fellow team members can be heard laughing in the background.
And they learned nothing because a few years later that same community helped (by more than 65% ) elect a president who bragged about ‘grabbing pu**ies”. A man who is currently indicted on so many felonies that I’ve lost count. How do we teach young folks today about justice and decency in a country where such a man is polling ahead of everyone for election 2024? (I wouldn’t be surprised if that former president is elected by an even larger margin in that community if he is the nominee.)
This book makes me want to punch something or someone. I had such a reaction to it that I almost wish i didn’t read it. Now i probably should look for a sappy Hallmark novel next as an escape. But you know what i did instead? I watched the documentary with the same name that is directed by the author of this book.
I wish everyone would read the book and watch the film. Especially high school students. We need to teach in schools that mob mentality should mean action against witnessing abuse instead of fearing speaking out. I still believe there are more good people in the world than bad. And there is safety in numbers. We need more witnesses like the student Shawn who was the lone voice in her defense among his fellow football players who were laughing. Had more than just him spoke up he may have had enough courage to do what he could to physically stop it.
I actually would give this 4.5 stars. I would assign five stars if there was an index of every character mentioned. I had trouble keeping the names of the prosecutors , coaches, district attorneys and other elected officials straight and had to go back and see who was the baddie and who was the goodie.
P.S. let’s hope that the former president I’m talking about is not the nominee and elected again. Otherwise, it would be no surprise if he appoints the quarterback rapist to the Supreme Court if he is given a chance.
This books is so well written and researched and my second difficult read this week because of the content. It’s a courageous book. I remember the story about the football players from a Friday Night Lights small town in Ohio who raped a young teen girl who was passed out while their friends took photos and video and shared them on social media. But i didn’t know all of the detail.
It’s unbelievable to me, and it should be to everyone, how the concrete evidence was dismissed by so many adults whose job it should be to protect the poor girl instead of the accusers. The book made me so angry about the stupidity of many of the the community members, including how adults and young folks view what constitutes rape, as they tried to pass it off as a ‘boys will be boys’ situation. THERE WAS FREAKING VIDEO AND AUDIO PROOF THAT THIS HAPPENED! Jokes were made. There was a lot of laughing on the video about how the girl was ‘trained’ and raped and one football player made joke after joke about the rape and how she looked dead , “deader than OJ’s wife”. His fellow team members can be heard laughing in the background.
And they learned nothing because a few years later that same community helped (by more than 65% ) elect a president who bragged about ‘grabbing pu**ies”. A man who is currently indicted on so many felonies that I’ve lost count. How do we teach young folks today about justice and decency in a country where such a man is polling ahead of everyone for election 2024? (I wouldn’t be surprised if that former president is elected by an even larger margin in that community if he is the nominee.)
This book makes me want to punch something or someone. I had such a reaction to it that I almost wish i didn’t read it. Now i probably should look for a sappy Hallmark novel next as an escape. But you know what i did instead? I watched the documentary with the same name that is directed by the author of this book.
I wish everyone would read the book and watch the film. Especially high school students. We need to teach in schools that mob mentality should mean action against witnessing abuse instead of fearing speaking out. I still believe there are more good people in the world than bad. And there is safety in numbers. We need more witnesses like the student Shawn who was the lone voice in her defense among his fellow football players who were laughing. Had more than just him spoke up he may have had enough courage to do what he could to physically stop it.
I actually would give this 4.5 stars. I would assign five stars if there was an index of every character mentioned. I had trouble keeping the names of the prosecutors , coaches, district attorneys and other elected officials straight and had to go back and see who was the baddie and who was the goodie.
P.S. let’s hope that the former president I’m talking about is not the nominee and elected again. Otherwise, it would be no surprise if he appoints the quarterback rapist to the Supreme Court if he is given a chance.
March 17, 2024
Some personal context: The Steubenville case occurred while I was still recovering from and processing my own rape from the year before, at age 20, trying to piece together my life and retrain my conscience into understanding what really happened, disavowing deeply engrained rape myths, and finally, truly knowing I wasn’t at fault. But the Steubenville case was my turning point, and I feel this is what ultimately made me so passionate about learning more about, speaking to, and dismantling rape culture.
I grew up in a town like Steubenville — conservative, economically depressed, deeply patriarchal, with an inclination toward sweeping ugliness under the rug rather than examining it, learning its root cause, talking openly about it, and working to dismantle the systemic abuses and collusion that caused it. I grew up in a place and a culture that sacrificed its daughters to protect its sons. And that’s why it hits close to home, because it’s about my home.
This book gives appropriate focus to the teen rapists and the friends who either stood by and did nothing or joked and documented the act for clout. But the book ultimately gives more deserving space to holding the adults surrounding the teens — parents, coaches, school administrators— accountable for the horrors that occurred. Not simply accountable for protecting the boys and putting 100% of the blame on the victim, but just as accountable for perpetuating a culture that resulted in prioritization of the men and boys’ lives and reputations over the women and girls they harmed. The book does an incredible job examining how that mindset reverberates and becomes endemic throughout society, how all-male sports team dynamics (particularly at the high school and collegiate levels) can serve as incubators for misogyny and sexual violence, and how critical it is to mandate truly comprehensive sex education for all children K-12 (“By law, children [in the U.S.] are required to attend school. If you can’t opt out of learning multiplication, you shouldn’t be able to opt out from learning about consent.”) if we want to see change.
It is a deeply necessary read for all parents or anyone in proximity to youth, and a cautionary tale of how our Brock Turners grow up to be our Brett Kavanaughs.
I grew up in a town like Steubenville — conservative, economically depressed, deeply patriarchal, with an inclination toward sweeping ugliness under the rug rather than examining it, learning its root cause, talking openly about it, and working to dismantle the systemic abuses and collusion that caused it. I grew up in a place and a culture that sacrificed its daughters to protect its sons. And that’s why it hits close to home, because it’s about my home.
This book gives appropriate focus to the teen rapists and the friends who either stood by and did nothing or joked and documented the act for clout. But the book ultimately gives more deserving space to holding the adults surrounding the teens — parents, coaches, school administrators— accountable for the horrors that occurred. Not simply accountable for protecting the boys and putting 100% of the blame on the victim, but just as accountable for perpetuating a culture that resulted in prioritization of the men and boys’ lives and reputations over the women and girls they harmed. The book does an incredible job examining how that mindset reverberates and becomes endemic throughout society, how all-male sports team dynamics (particularly at the high school and collegiate levels) can serve as incubators for misogyny and sexual violence, and how critical it is to mandate truly comprehensive sex education for all children K-12 (“By law, children [in the U.S.] are required to attend school. If you can’t opt out of learning multiplication, you shouldn’t be able to opt out from learning about consent.”) if we want to see change.
It is a deeply necessary read for all parents or anyone in proximity to youth, and a cautionary tale of how our Brock Turners grow up to be our Brett Kavanaughs.
July 20, 2022
I somehow missed Nancy Schwartzman’s film Roll Red Roll back in 2018, which told the story of a notorious gang rape of a 16-year old girl after an early season football game in Steubenville, Ohio. The horrific events would perhaps (most likely, IMHO) never have come to light were it not for smart phones and social media…but I digress.
The girl was from another school – so by definition an outsider. The people involved were at three different parties that night, with the net result being multiple sexual assaults, documented by both still photos and video, along with voice messages. The incredibly detailed investigation included almost FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND text messages and, although many of the incriminating items were deleted, they had been captured by a dedicated researcher and blogger, whose posts went viral, resulting in national coverage.
Several reviewers complained about the exact thing that made this book (and film) great: it goes beyond the story of the star athletes and their attack on Jane Doe. It definitely does give ALL the detail you might want (and more) about the actual events of that night, but it also explores the WTF factor: what is it that made this town such a safe haven for sexual assault? Why were the athletes given a free pass to do whatever they wanted? Why was there such collective disdain for women, and so much victim blaming? What role did the town’s slide from a nice middle class place to a dying rust belt town with more than its share of problems play in this event, and others like it? Schwartzman takes readers beyond the city limits of Steubenville into the whole #metoo movement and the forces that allow both the crimes and the acceptance of the “boys will be boys” mentality to continue.
My favorite line about the book is that “Schwartzman proposes ways to unlearn the norms of a society that too often sacrifices its daughters for the sake of protecting its sons.” Well done, a necessary if painful look at several contemporary issues. Four BIG stars. (I sought out the film after I read the book. Both are excellent). Thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for this honest review.
The girl was from another school – so by definition an outsider. The people involved were at three different parties that night, with the net result being multiple sexual assaults, documented by both still photos and video, along with voice messages. The incredibly detailed investigation included almost FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND text messages and, although many of the incriminating items were deleted, they had been captured by a dedicated researcher and blogger, whose posts went viral, resulting in national coverage.
Several reviewers complained about the exact thing that made this book (and film) great: it goes beyond the story of the star athletes and their attack on Jane Doe. It definitely does give ALL the detail you might want (and more) about the actual events of that night, but it also explores the WTF factor: what is it that made this town such a safe haven for sexual assault? Why were the athletes given a free pass to do whatever they wanted? Why was there such collective disdain for women, and so much victim blaming? What role did the town’s slide from a nice middle class place to a dying rust belt town with more than its share of problems play in this event, and others like it? Schwartzman takes readers beyond the city limits of Steubenville into the whole #metoo movement and the forces that allow both the crimes and the acceptance of the “boys will be boys” mentality to continue.
My favorite line about the book is that “Schwartzman proposes ways to unlearn the norms of a society that too often sacrifices its daughters for the sake of protecting its sons.” Well done, a necessary if painful look at several contemporary issues. Four BIG stars. (I sought out the film after I read the book. Both are excellent). Thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for this honest review.
July 12, 2024
I was rocked by the documentary of the same name and was left with the unshakeable need find out more. I found a copy of the book to see if there were tidbits the documentary may have left out and I found a of couple of doozies. Notably, that Trent May’s father had resigned from his position at a local high school years before due to statutory rape allegations. The book and documentary both explain what “Rape Culture” is and how the town of Stuebenville came under fire because of it.
Teenage children should be encouraged to read this book, not only because it illustrates the need to be aware, less naive and to protect oneself from kids your own age who engage in predatory behavior, but also shows how callous and sadistic young peers who you think are your friends can be towards rape, humiliation and the taking advantage of anyone incapacitated. The participation of the crime in real time over social media was mind blowing and will stick with me. The tweeting of an actual rape occurring is something very hard to forget. The education and highlighting that non-consensual digital penetration is in fact rape. All are very important themes of the book.
I give the book 4 out 5 because as much as the documentary shook me, enough to prompt me to order the book because I wanted to learn more, the writing style was a bit dry in certain places and it lacked depth and engagement for me. Definitely not as electric as the documentary. That being said, I am a fan of Nancy Schwartzman, I am enjoying the HULU Show Sasha Reid & The Midnight Order in which she directs and produces.
Teenage children should be encouraged to read this book, not only because it illustrates the need to be aware, less naive and to protect oneself from kids your own age who engage in predatory behavior, but also shows how callous and sadistic young peers who you think are your friends can be towards rape, humiliation and the taking advantage of anyone incapacitated. The participation of the crime in real time over social media was mind blowing and will stick with me. The tweeting of an actual rape occurring is something very hard to forget. The education and highlighting that non-consensual digital penetration is in fact rape. All are very important themes of the book.
I give the book 4 out 5 because as much as the documentary shook me, enough to prompt me to order the book because I wanted to learn more, the writing style was a bit dry in certain places and it lacked depth and engagement for me. Definitely not as electric as the documentary. That being said, I am a fan of Nancy Schwartzman, I am enjoying the HULU Show Sasha Reid & The Midnight Order in which she directs and produces.
August 22, 2022
I didn't realize until I began reading this book that Schwartzman had produced a documentary and then written this following the production of said documentary. I wished I would have viewed the documentary instead of reading the book; I imagine it served as a powerful medium for this subject.
The book starts out with the haunting and sadly infamous gang rape by a group of teenage boys upon a drunken girl at an unfamiliar party., this one notable for the recording of the boys laughing about the incident that goes viral. It then moves on to discuss the ripple effects of this rape including the role of the adults in the community and the future of the rapists.
Thought this is not the fault of Schwartzman, I felt I had read this story before - in Krakauer's book about rape on the Missoula campus, the recent release about the Colorado football team - Tell Me Everything, and so on. Each book discusses the systems influencing rape culture rather than just the salacious details.
I wondered if it is exploitive to come in from the East Coast and tell this story, something Schwartzman does address in the book. It sounded from her extensive research that many other journalists had extensively covered this topic as well. Obviously, this is a story that needs to be told, and overall I'm thankful that she told it.
The book starts out with the haunting and sadly infamous gang rape by a group of teenage boys upon a drunken girl at an unfamiliar party., this one notable for the recording of the boys laughing about the incident that goes viral. It then moves on to discuss the ripple effects of this rape including the role of the adults in the community and the future of the rapists.
Thought this is not the fault of Schwartzman, I felt I had read this story before - in Krakauer's book about rape on the Missoula campus, the recent release about the Colorado football team - Tell Me Everything, and so on. Each book discusses the systems influencing rape culture rather than just the salacious details.
I wondered if it is exploitive to come in from the East Coast and tell this story, something Schwartzman does address in the book. It sounded from her extensive research that many other journalists had extensively covered this topic as well. Obviously, this is a story that needs to be told, and overall I'm thankful that she told it.
July 27, 2022
Similar to Missoula by Jon Krakauer, Roll Red Roll is a comprehensive study of how rape and its aftermath shape a community. Like its predecessor, however, this book's good intentions are occasionally undone by the author's inserted biases.
Schwartzman repeatedly glorifies "renowned women's rights attorney Gloria Allred" (page 142), failing to mention how Allred helped Harvey Weinstein bully his accusers—even though Schwartzman devotes a section of Roll Red Roll to Weinstein and the repercussions of #MeToo after Steubenville.
More disturbingly, Schwartzman seems to imply that Steubenville High School made the correct decision in allowing one of the rapists back on the football team: "With juveniles, these decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis, taking many factors into consideration including, for example, if someone has shown remorse and a willingness to take responsibility for their actions, or if he has reoffended" (pages 191-192). Several pages later, she writes that "the most salient question of all... kept haunting" her: "Is this football town putting its daughters at risk by protecting its sons?" (page 195) By condoning a rapist's reentry into the brotherhood that taught him how to rape, she answers her own question.
Schwartzman repeatedly glorifies "renowned women's rights attorney Gloria Allred" (page 142), failing to mention how Allred helped Harvey Weinstein bully his accusers—even though Schwartzman devotes a section of Roll Red Roll to Weinstein and the repercussions of #MeToo after Steubenville.
More disturbingly, Schwartzman seems to imply that Steubenville High School made the correct decision in allowing one of the rapists back on the football team: "With juveniles, these decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis, taking many factors into consideration including, for example, if someone has shown remorse and a willingness to take responsibility for their actions, or if he has reoffended" (pages 191-192). Several pages later, she writes that "the most salient question of all... kept haunting" her: "Is this football town putting its daughters at risk by protecting its sons?" (page 195) By condoning a rapist's reentry into the brotherhood that taught him how to rape, she answers her own question.
December 4, 2024
This was an awful crime and difficult to read about, particularly for those of us with teen daughters. However, this book delved into far more than just this particular crime and that's where my rating went down.
There was a fair amount that didn't sit well with me as the author expanded into writing about "rape culture," including giving credence to a statutory rape rumor about the father of one of the assailants. She acknowledges this as a rumor but writes about it as if it's a known fact in the town.
I feel the author took a lot of liberties in assuming people's thoughts and intentions, sometimes unfairly. She also seemed to be pinning part of the blame for rape culture on Christians, Catholics, those who oppose abortion and those who don't support her preferred version of sex education. She blames others for wanting to "advance an agenda" without admitting she is trying to advance one of her own.
Finally, the random mentions of things like climate change and proper terminology for history involving Native Americans felt more like box-checking for her worldview rather than adding anything to the point of the book.
There was a fair amount that didn't sit well with me as the author expanded into writing about "rape culture," including giving credence to a statutory rape rumor about the father of one of the assailants. She acknowledges this as a rumor but writes about it as if it's a known fact in the town.
I feel the author took a lot of liberties in assuming people's thoughts and intentions, sometimes unfairly. She also seemed to be pinning part of the blame for rape culture on Christians, Catholics, those who oppose abortion and those who don't support her preferred version of sex education. She blames others for wanting to "advance an agenda" without admitting she is trying to advance one of her own.
Finally, the random mentions of things like climate change and proper terminology for history involving Native Americans felt more like box-checking for her worldview rather than adding anything to the point of the book.
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