In addition to physical trauma, its victims often suffer devastating psychological damage that leads to feelings of shame, emotional paralysis and stigmatization. This brutal reality goes a long way towards explaining why acquaintance rape is the most underreported crime in America. If the case goes to trial, the woman’s entire personal life becomes fair game for defense attorneys. The vanishingly small but highly publicized incidents of false accusations are often used to dismiss her claims in the press. 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. Unlike burglary or embezzlement or any other felony, the victim often comes under more suspicion than the alleged perpetrator. Few of these assaults were properly handled by either the university or local authorities. In this, Missoula is also typical.Ī 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.Īcquaintance rape is a crime like no other.

The Department of Justice investigated 350 sexual assaults reported to the Missoula police between January 2008 and May 2012. 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.

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 by Jon Krakauer