Jon Krakauer

A "narrative about a series of sexual assaults at the University of Montana--stories that illuminate the human drama behind the national plague of campus rape"--Dust jacket flap.

Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

Missoula

Jeannette Ordas

This is a hard book to read and it really shows how difficult rape victims have it in the justice system (surprise, there is little to no justice!). And while I've gobbled other books by Jon Krakauer, this one started off as an engaging read, the final third felt rushed, bogged down and unresolved.

Liz B

I don't know what to say about this book. Nothing described in this book surprised me, and it mirrored the experiences of my friends and classmates in college and early adulthood (you don't need to be in college to be assaulted by an acquaintance). I'm glad the male author is now aware of this issue, but I see that almost all the reviews here are from women. While validating to have this book to back up what many of us already know, I'd argue it's not women who need to be reading this book, but men & parents of young men. I guess I'd recommend reading it if you think sexual assault is rare, committed by strangers, or that survivors often lie.

From bestselling author Jon Krakauer, a stark, powerful, meticulously reported narrative about a series of sexual assaults at the University of Montana ­— stories that illuminate the human drama behind the national plague of campus rape Missoula, Montana, is a typical college town, with a highly regarded state university, bucolic surroundings, a lively social scene, and an excellent football team — the Grizzlies — with a rabid fan base. The Department of Justice investigated 350 sexual assaults reported to the Missoula police between January 2008 and May 2012. Few of these assaults were properly handled by either the university or local authorities. In this, Missoula is also typical. A DOJ report released in December of 2014 estimates 110,000 women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four are raped each year. Krakauer’s devastating narrative of what happened in Missoula makes clear why rape is so prevalent on American campuses, and why rape victims are so reluctant to report assault. Acquaintance rape is a crime like no other. Unlike burglary or embezzlement or any other felony, the victim often comes under more suspicion than the alleged perpetrator. This is especially true if the victim is sexually active; if she had been drinking prior to the assault — and if the man she accuses plays on a popular sports team. The vanishingly small but highly publicized incidents of false accusations are often used to dismiss her claims in the press. If the case goes to trial, the woman’s entire personal life becomes fair game for defense attorneys. This brutal reality goes a long way towards explaining why acquaintance rape is the most underreported crime in America. In addition to physical trauma, its victims often suffer devastating psychological damage that leads to feelings of shame, emotional paralysis and stigmatization. PTSD rates for rape victims are estimated to be 50%, higher than soldiers returning from war. In Missoula, Krakauer chronicles the searing experiences of several women in Missoula — the nights when they were raped; their fear and self-doubt in the aftermath; the way they were treated by the police, prosecutors, defense attorneys; the public vilification and private anguish; their bravery in pushing forward and what it cost them. Some of them went to the police. Some declined to go to the police, or to press charges, but sought redress from the university, which has its own, non-criminal judicial process when a student is accused of rape. In two cases the police agreed to press charges and the district attorney agreed to prosecute. One case led to a conviction; one to an acquittal. Those women courageous enough to press charges or to speak publicly about their experiences were attacked in the media, on Grizzly football fan sites, and/or to their faces. The university expelled three of the accused rapists, but one was reinstated by state officials in a secret proceeding. One district attorney testified for an alleged rapist at his university hearing. She later left the prosecutor’s office and successfully defended the Grizzlies’ star quarterback in his rape trial. The horror of being raped, in each woman’s case, was magnified by the mechanics of the justice system and the reaction of the community. Krakauer’s dispassionate, carefully documented account of what these women endured cuts through the abstract ideological debate about campus rape. College-age women are not raped because they are promiscuous, or drunk, or send mixed signals, or feel guilty about casual sex, or seek attention. They are the victims of a terrible crime and deserving of compassion from society and fairness from a justice system that is clearly broken.

Carol Bailey

This was an extremely well written account of what happened in Missoula without sensationalizing the subject matter. Shockingly, I'd say it was one of the best books I've read this year.

Janice Hopper

This book is an absolutely harrowing and riveting account of the experiences of several women who were raped in Missoula, Montana between 2008 and 2012. The rapes and sexual assaults are horrific in their own right. But the trials (both the courtroom and physical/emotional ones) the victims experience are worse. While I was listening to the book, I kept saying "Oh honey, I'm so sorry you had to go through that," because the women's experiences were so daunting. :(

And the description of the courtroom trial of Jordan Johnson sounded like a cage match. 

I think Krakauer does favor the narratives of the women, but I don't have a problem with that here. When it's a young woman vs. a popular college athlete, I think the woman needs all the help she can get. Why anyone would think a woman would put herself through the abuse and calumny and negative publicity of accusing someone of rape for shits and giggles is absolutely beyond me. 

I listened to this on audio from Scribd. The narrator was a woman, and she did an excellent job. I couldn't tear myself away from the story.

Maggie Gordon

Missoula is a mediocre book about an important subject. Krakauer takes on the topic of college rapes, doing an in-depth profile of the experiences of several women who were assaulted in a small university town. I preferred the second half of the book when most of the narrative was being pulled directly out of trial transcripts. The first half I felt was too focused on the details of assaults to the point that it felt exploitative. The actual assaults were described in detail, but little was down to weave a narrative about the women as anything other than victims. Readers were shown little of their lives outside the rape and it is highly problematic to write a book where women are largely reduced to their sexual assaults. 

On the other hand, it is an accessible and unflinching book about sexual assault, and much of the trial testimony was quite damning. There are many books I prefer on the subject, but Missoula is written by a rather famous and well-respected non-fiction author, so I hope that it helps encourage understanding of sexual assaults on campuses.

Jordan /

No rating because how do you rate a nonfiction rape book? If you haven't been rape or sexual assaulted, this book provides so much great insight into how the system works, the issues that women face on a day to day basis after either choosing to or not to report the crime to the police, and the scary way the world can react to something THAT HAPPENED TO YOU. 
If you have been raped or assaulted, please be aware that this book leaves nothing to the imagination while the author describes the assaults that took place in great detail. 
Based on true cases of rape and assault involving multiple football players in Missoula, Montana, you are thrown into the process with multiple different women as they navigate the criminal justice system, police, media, their community, friends, family and most importantly themselves. It is not easy to read, and both the length and contents of this book make it a long, dark, sad and enlightening experience.

Paulina 

Lektura obowiązkowa. 
Najgorsze jest to, że mimo frustracji, mimo narastającego wkurwa, nic mnie nie dziwiło. Ani victim blaiming, ani indolencja prokuratury i policji, ani przekonanie sprawców o swojej niewinności, ani ta pieprzona propaganda bogów sportu. Nic.
Krakauer traktuje swoje bohaterki z szacunkiem, nie wykorzystuje ich tragedii, nie nuża się w drastycznych szczegółach dla większego efektu. Przeplata różne wątki, dzięki czemu książkę czyta się łatwiej, niemal jak beletrystykę. Na szczęście "niemal", bo nie daje nam zapomnieć, że to prawda, to było, jest i niestety będzie. I nie tylko w Missouli.

Sameer Vasta

Do not read Jon Krakauer’s Missoula when you are having a good day.

Actually, strike that. A good day is precisely when you should read the book, because it will make you angry. It will make you furious, sad, despondent, and irate. It will ruin your good day — and it should. Everything about rape culture and how our justice system deals with sexual assault is infuriating; Krakauer’s exposé only serves to remind us of how horrible the situation is, and how important it is for us to be jarred from our good days and reminded that everything isn’t okay.

Missoula is ostensibly about a rash of sexual assaults at the University of Montana and the town where it is located, but it is more than just that. It is a look at how insidiously vicious rape culture is, and how the entire justice system—from the police to prosecutors—is inherently re-victimizing victims of sexual assault repeatedly, all while failing to put away the real offenders. It will make you, rightfully, sad and angry at the same time, and you will wonder how we ever let it get this bad.

Sure, the book has its flaws. It lacks a coherent narrative or effective synthesis, presents a mostly-one-dimensional study of each character, relies mostly on the verbatim quoting of court transcripts, and doesn’t delve deeper into the cultural and social constructs that make rape culture so insidious. It is, however, important. It is important in reminding us that most victims of sexual assault will never report the crime because the system is inherently stacked against them, and that when they do report, they are victimized over and over, again and again, by everyone in the system.

Read Missoula and let it ruin your mood on a good day. Important discussions like this deserve to have that strong of an impact.

(Originally published on I Tell Stories.)

Andrew Molina

Incredible and terrible story of an average college campus and it's issues with rape.

Krakauer did a terrific job addressing many rape myths that run rampant and personalizing them, which is really important because in my experience when talking about rape myths with people, not personalizing it makes it easy to disregard them. 

Though it's clear where Krakauer's sentiment falls, I think he does a good job of presenting information in a way that encourages his reader to question their own assumptions about rape and to explore more, rather than subjecting them to moralizing, which tends to spark defensiveness.

Overall a really important read that keeps you gripped.

Bryan Alexander

A useful book for some purposes, but ultimately disappointing.

Missoula describes a series of rapes in the titular town, carrying them from each event through legal, personal, and civic responses. Krakauer writes with empathy for the victims, arguing on their behalf and damningly demonstrating the challenges facing them in seeking justice. He also sketches out some people as visible characters, from the three main victims to their very disturbing opponent, DA Kirsten Pabst.

The book would make a good reading for a class on gender studies, criminal justice, or specific class on assault. Most of the text addresses criminal proceedings, often by excerpting court documents. Krakauer also introduces key issues in rape and sexual assault, from consent to false accusations to harsh treatment of victims by police.

I came to Missoula expecting a focus on higher education and sexual assault, and was surprised at how little of the book actually addressed the university. Missoula is really about the town and county's judicial system, which interested me less (context: I work in higher education). It touches on the world of college sports, but not very deeply.

Another disappointment was how shallow the book ended up being. It read like a thin Law and Order episode, far below the level of writing I've enjoyed from Krakauer in the past. Missoula scants too many issues involved in the Missoula stories: the role of alcohol; the impact of the online world; campus life; even the culture of local football. Moreover, the support of UM and also of the Department of Justice's investigation doesn't really engage with criticisms.

One surprising aspect of the book is the high esteem it accords the University of Montana in its handling of sexual assault. In 2014-2015 the opposite mood has occupied America, where many criticize what they see as fumbling, over- or under-zealous pursuit of criminals. But Krakauer argues throughout that UM's administration acted more carefully and in better support of victims than did the local criminal authorities.

Consider this a journalistic account of the Missoula rape stories, a useful introduction to the events and their implications, but only at an intro level.

Missoula Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

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