While packing up the car, loads of boxes are shoved in the back, a tearful goodbye is said to family, and right before climbing into the car your dad says to you “Stay alert and safe. Make sure you always have your pepper spray. College is dangerous. Watch out for the boys”. Too many female students are sent off to college with the fear of rape in the back of their mind, but not enough men are sent off with the respect of women and fear the consequences their actions may have. In Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer, Krakauer tackles the taboo topic of campus rape and the ways in which it is mishandled by students, colleges, and the justice system. Through the use of infuriating, true stories, Krakauer calls the readers to action, and he calls our justice system to hold people responsible for these heinous crimes. Krakauer begins to make your blood boil by introducing Allison Huguet and Beau Donaldson. He tells the story of the paralyzing fear Huguet faced after being raped by Donaldson, her long time best friend, in college. You follow the fear, doubt, and regret Huguet faces, and see the smug and undaunted demeanor of Donaldson. Although Donaldson is eventually brought to justice, the story of Huguet still shows the rape culture evident in campus life through the hate and shame Huguet was forced to face even though she was the victim. One of the reasons only 20% of rapes are reported to the police is because of the fear of being “raped by the system”. Krakauer brings to light the way in which police officers negatively address victims and often indirectly tell them they are at fault or making up stories. Krakauer talks about the way in which Kerry Barrett’s, Kelsey Belnap’s, and Kaitlyn Kelly’s cases are mishandled and eventually dismissed by incompetent police officers. “Detective Baker asked Belnap if she was dating anyone, a question cops often ask women who report they’ve been raped. ‘When I said, ‘Yes, I am,’’ Belnap remembers, ‘the way he reacted made me feel like he assumed I had cheated on my boyfriend and then lied about being raped to cover it up” (Krakauer 45). This quote is just one of the many times it is evident that exposing police officers, lawyers, and others working within our justice system was a paramount aspect of Krakauer’s writing. He would show the way in which these women- the victims- were questioned, the way their reputations were destroyed, and how they had to prove time and time again that they were truly deserving of justice. Krakauer takes on a large and ongoing battle; a battle that can only be won through societal changes on the ways which rape is viewed and victims are perceived. This book will make your blood boil and inspire you to incite change. This is not a book for the faint of heart, but is a book that will expose you to the truths of the dangers of college. This is a book that all people in the United State should read, because until we understand the truths behind rape, we will never see changes in the injustice that surrounds it.
Krakauer begins to make your blood boil by introducing Allison Huguet and Beau Donaldson. He tells the story of the paralyzing fear Huguet faced after being raped by Donaldson, her long time best friend, in college. You follow the fear, doubt, and regret Huguet faces, and see the smug and undaunted demeanor of Donaldson. Although Donaldson is eventually brought to justice, the story of Huguet still shows the rape culture evident in campus life through the hate and shame Huguet was forced to face even though she was the victim.
One of the reasons only 20% of rapes are reported to the police is because of the fear of being “raped by the system”. Krakauer brings to light the way in which police officers negatively address victims and often indirectly tell them they are at fault or making up stories. Krakauer talks about the way in which Kerry Barrett’s, Kelsey Belnap’s, and Kaitlyn Kelly’s cases are mishandled and eventually dismissed by incompetent police officers. “Detective Baker asked Belnap if she was dating anyone, a question cops often ask women who report they’ve been raped. ‘When I said, ‘Yes, I am,’’ Belnap remembers, ‘the way he reacted made me feel like he assumed I had cheated on my boyfriend and then lied about being raped to cover it up” (Krakauer 45).
This quote is just one of the many times it is evident that exposing police officers, lawyers, and others working within our justice system was a paramount aspect of Krakauer’s writing. He would show the way in which these women- the victims- were questioned, the way their reputations were destroyed, and how they had to prove time and time again that they were truly deserving of justice.
Krakauer takes on a large and ongoing battle; a battle that can only be won through societal changes on the ways which rape is viewed and victims are perceived. This book will make your blood boil and inspire you to incite change. This is not a book for the faint of heart, but is a book that will expose you to the truths of the dangers of college. This is a book that all people in the United State should read, because until we understand the truths behind rape, we will never see changes in the injustice that surrounds it.