Play Audiobook Sample
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(0.00) - 0 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
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.
Download and start listening now!
“Though one might anticipate that a male narrator would deliver Krakauer’s powerful stories, Mozhan Marno proves a great choice. Her commanding tone and cadence keep the flow between paragraphs. Where the text suggests it, she imbues hints of emotion without being heavy-handed. She also provides vocal characterizations that are in line with Krakauer’s portrayals. Her most powerful delivery comes in women’s firsthand accounts of their sexual assaults.”
— AudioFile
Quotes
-
[H]arrowing.... [I]ncisive.... Krakauer's investigation will succeed in altering the conversation around sexual violence.... Missoula will undoubtedly fortify those of us who have already broken our silence and may rally those who have not dared to.
— Los Angeles Times -
"Excellent.... Krakauer doesn't just tell the story of these crimes. As he has done so brilliantly in his other books...he sets the story firmly in the context of social history.
— Boston Globe -
[A] narrative nonfiction page-turner.... Missoula demonstrates that it’s not only possible but advantageous for reporters to remain clear-eye while also taking victims’ concerns into account. Krakauer skillfully strengthens his sources’ recollections without taking away their agency. He doesn’t hide from complexity or nuance.
— Katie Baker, BuzzFeed -
[E]xpertly researched.... Equal parts riveting and horrifying, it's a hell of a read--and a necessary one.
— People -
[M]eticulously reported, fascinating and deeply disturbing.... By probing the specific, Krakauer illuminates upsetting generalities..... Krakauer—a journalist who is also a compelling writer—artfully keeps the books from becoming a compendium of facts..... It’s an important, difficult and timely subject.
— USA Today -
A good and needed thing.... [P]owerful.... Krakauer tells a sad an infuriating story.... Krakauer has done a great service by taking on this subject.
— Newsweek -
[A] case study of the widespread problem of campus rape.... For anyone distressed by the high rate of sexual assault afflicting young woman, and who wants to understand some of the ways in which the justice system fails them—and shouldn’t that be all of us?—Krakauer’s book is worth reading.
— Time -
[A] devestating exposé of colleges and local law enforcement when it comes to investigating and prosecuting campus sex crimes.... [A] substantive deep dive into the morass of campus sex crimes, where the victim is too often treated like the accused.
— Entertainment Weekly -
[S]crupulously reported... The depth of [Krakauer’s] reporting...illustrates just how difficult it can be for victims to get justice.
— Salon -
[R]elentless, exhaustive.... Krakauer does not pretend to be scooping anyone. Instead, he systematically details the many myths surrounding rape and the many ways in which our society mistreats victims long after the actual assault.
— Outside -
[C]lear and dispassionate, offering level-headed, in-depth reportage.... [T]he disquieting fact running through Krakauer's narrative is this: Missoula is typical.
— Chicago Tribune -
[A]n impassioned study of campus rape.... Krakauer’s evocative reporting, honed to a fine edge of anger, vividly conveys the ordeal of victims and their ongoing psychological dislocations. The result is a hard-hitting true-crime expose that looks underneath the he-said-she-said to get at the sexist assumptions that help cover up and enable these crimes.
— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) -
“Expertly researched….Equal parts riveting and horrifying, it’s a hell of a read—and a necessary one.”
— People -
“For anyone distressed by the high rate of sexual assault afflicting young woman and who wants to understand some of the ways in which the justice system fails them—and shouldn’t that be all of us?—Krakauer’s book is worth reading.”
— Time -
“Meticulously reported, fascinating, and deeply disturbing…By probing the specific, Krakauer illuminates upsetting generalities…Krakauer—a journalist who is also a compelling writer—artfully keeps the books from becoming a compendium of facts.”
— USA Today -
“Powerful…A sad and infuriating story…Krakauer has done a great service by taking on this subject.”
— Newsweek -
“A gem of narrative nonfiction that will educate and incite. As the story builds, culminating in two different trials with two different outcomes, readers will find themselves consumed by the factual and emotional complexities of the subject. No page turner this year will be more incendiary than Missoula.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“In Missoula, Jon Krakauer shows us why rape victims are so terrified to go to the police…Reporting on 350 reported sexual assaults in one small Montana town, Krakauer is clear-eyed and objective. He doesn’t need to expostulate; the facts he uncovers are enough to horrify his readers.”
— Barnes&Noble.com, editorial review
Awards
-
One of Barnes & Noble's Biggest Books of the Week
-
An Amazon Best Book of the Month for April 2015
-
A 2015 Amazon Best Books of the Year Selection for Nonfiction
-
Audible’s Best Audiobooks Editor’s Pick for 2015
-
A Shelf Awareness Best Book of 2015
-
A Flavorwire Pick for the Best Nonfiction of 2015
Missoula Listener Reviews
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
About Jon Krakauer
Jon Krakauer is the preeminent writer of narrative nonfiction. His numerous bestsellers include Under the Banner of Heaven, Into the Wild, and Into Thin Air. He is editor of the Modern Library Exploration series.
About the Narrators
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.
Mozhan Marnò is an Iranian American film and television actress, most notably appearing in Charlie Wilson’s War and Bones. Her audiobook narrations have won several AudioFile Earphones Awards.