Missoula

Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

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. 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.

In Missoula, Krakauer chronicles the searing experiences of several women in the town — 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.

Must read for College-bound women & their Parents

Jon's meticulous research again brings the Truth forward to shocking readers who might not want to know it's ugly facts

Two crazy things get exposed in this book

First of all, despite the title, this book really is not about Missoula, Montana. Nor is it about the godlike status of college football reigning over small town society.

It's about the perfect storm of young men wanting to have sex and young women not knowing how to stop it when they get themselves into a situation they feel they have no control over. The crazy thing is that most non-stranger rapists would not consider forcing themselves on an unwilling young woman as "rape." And when (relatively) sexually inexperienced women are raped, their natural reaction is often to blame themselves, the combination of which does not set a healthy standard for consensual sex. It's bewilderingly sad and as we see in Krakauer's account, life-ruining for everyone involved.

Compounding that is how contentious our legal system is. In order for a man accused of rape to be fairly represented by an attorney, he has to attempt to defame the victim, which is doubly upsetting in a non-stranger rape case. The victim is raked over the coals by someone she trusted. It's gut wrenching to hear about.

How is a jury or a cop or a friend ever to know what really happened when a victim reports a rape? There are so many unexplained behaviors that defy logical thinking but at the end of the day, this is a crime that goes unthwarted every day and has since the dawn of time.

"Missoula" is written in meticulous detail, uncovering basic and complex nuances that gave me plenty to think about afterwards. Mozhan Marno delivers Krakauer's story in steadfast, crisp tones that bring the reader right into the turmoil of human interaction, both publically and during frightening intimacy. Definitely worth the listen.

necessary, depressing, difficult

this book documents the rape cases in Missoula from 2008-2014 or so. it's shocking in the callousness of the authorities, the seeming controversy of fairly clear cut evidence. I think it's important to read. I'd like to find more out about national statistics, but it also shows the importance is individual people.

Everyone Should Read

Where does Missoula rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is the kind of book that is sort of a Public Service Announcement to bring about an awareness to our society about how common rape really is and help us understand how this occurs, how it affects people. Everyone will be able to gain a deeper understanding of not only those who have been through it, but of themselves as a result of reading this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Missoula?

The courage of the girls to explain how it made them feel, particularly Huget.

Have you listened to any of Mozhan Marno and Scott Brick ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. Mozhan Marno did a good job, but from time to time her voice for the young girls made them sound pretentious or whiny or week. I'm not sure that was the tone they had when describing the painful things they endured. You can be strong and vulnerable at the same time.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but there was no way I could. But, I was anxious to get back to it.

Any additional comments?

Important subject matter. This should be taught to preteens in order to help girls understand that rape can occur by people they know, and that its okay to stop it from happening even if its scary or against their nature to create confrontation. And to help boys understand that rape is a terrible thing for girls that affects the rest of their lives, and also that it is a real and serious crime.

Krakauer does it again.

Once again Jon Krakauer's obsessive need to know is to our benefit. His exhaustive work in uncovering the depth of the destruction of date rape will challenge educate and move you to action.