Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The bestselling journalist dives into the acquaintance rape scandal that enveloped the University of Montana and members of its football team, coupled with the inability (or refusal?) of local prosecutors to convict accused rapists. In May 2012, Jezebel posted an article, "My Weekend in America's So-Called Rape Capital,' " referring to Missoula, Montana, though both the writer of that article and Krakauer (Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way, 2011, etc.) note that the rate of reported rapes in Missoula was commensurate with the rates in other college towns. Given the fanatic devotion for the Grizzlies, the university's football team, and the fact that its players were accused of both gang and one-on-one rapes, Krakauer finds in Missoula the perfect storm of scandal. (In fact, some locals like to believe that football players don't need to rape anyone because they can have sex with whomever they'd like.) The author homes in on the stories of several victims: one whose assailant was convicted, one whose wasn't, and another whose crime was punished by expulsion from the universitythough he was never found legally guilty (one revealing thread of Krakauer's investigations is the appalling ineptitude of university administrators when confronted with accusations of rape among their students). The author focuses on the plight of a brave undergrad who, after considerable trepidation, decided to go public with her accusation against star player Beau Donaldson. Krakauer has done considerable research into acquaintance rape, and his recounting of trials, both legal and university proceedings, is riveting. His focus on quoting from testimony means that it is harder for readers to understand the motivations of someone like Kirsten Pabst, a former prosecutor who became a lawyer for an accused football player; an interview with her could have been useful. A raw and difficult but necessary read. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

*Starred Review* Missoula, Montana, a college town of 70,000 people in western Montana, has made headlines in recent years for rape, both on and off the University of Montana campus, and most notably for the number of cases involving players on the University of Montana Grizzlies football team. The notoriety has spawned everything from a viral blog post (My Weekend in America's So-Called Rape Capital,' Jezebel) to a Department of Justice investigation. Krakauer, who most recently wrote about another scandal with a Montana connection (Three Cups of Deceit, 2011, examines the misdeeds of Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortenson, whose Central Asia Institute was headquartered in Bozeman), tackles several highly charged cases and reminds us that rape is often not an instance of he said, she said but she said, he denied, and the community refused to listen. Built primarily around the cases of Beau Donaldson, the Montana Grizzlies fullback and linebacker convicted of rape, and Jordan Johnson, the star quarterback ultimately acquitted of the charge, Missoula tells a much larger story, one that comprises multiple cases, scores of people, and a detailed time line. While the book showcases Krakauer's rigorous reporting and disciplined writing style he doesn't waste a word on the scenery the clinical blow-by-blow seems barely to conceal his rage. What he reveals is a clear pattern in which young women who reported being raped were not properly served by the agents of justice in Missoula. Do you have a boyfriend? is a question commonly asked by investigators, with the insinuation that women who regret cheating on their boyfriends regularly recast consensual sex as rape. With a few notable exceptions, the women were disbelieved, condescended to, and then expected to be understanding when prosecutors declined to vigorously pursue their attackers. Using a transcript, Krakauer re-creates one mind-blowing scene in which a detective soothes in motherly fashion the accused rapist she is supposed to be interrogating: Don't beat yourself up more than you already have about this, okay? What are we to make of the fact that some of those who fail the victims are women themselves? Missoula, despite its reputation as a blue oasis in a red state (a popular local saying is that Missoula is only 20 minutes from Montana), is crazy about its football team. The raped women, their friends, family, and defenders, and even a local reporter who covers the stories, face ostracism, threats, and the accusation that they are somehow making things up in order to harm the football program. It seems little wonder when we learn how few rapes actually get reported. Krakauer is clearly angry but channels his anger into an important document that, if there is any justice in the world, will better our society's understanding and treatment of rape. Though this makes for grim reading, and the sheer volume of information can make the story somewhat difficult to follow (particularly the passages involving the defendant Donaldson, a detective named Donovan, and attorney with the last name Datsopolous), readers will be impelled forward by the sheer, heartbreaking injustice of it all. Many Missoulians will feel unfairly maligned by the book's title, which has stirred further controversy in a town that thinks of itself, with some justification, as progressive in many ways. While this book may be unique in its disquieting particulars for instance, the chief deputy county attorney who abruptly resigns, enters private practice, and joins the defense of Johnson the problem is universal. Krakauer points out that Missoula's rape statistics are actually very much like those of other similarly sized college towns throughout the U.S. It is to be hoped that we won't need a book written for each one of them, too, before things get better.--Graff, Keir Copyright 2015 Booklist

Library Journal
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He said, she said. It's the eternal question when it comes to rape. Do the facts support arresting the accused, and can the prosecution win a conviction? Krakauer (Into Thin Air) examines a series of rapes alleged to have been committed in a Montana college town. Because several of the accused rapists were football players, the cases became deeply politicized. "He said, she said" assumes a false equivalency between the two sides, for in Krakauer's trenchant tale female victims struggled with humiliating treatment at the hands of doctors and trial lawyers-as well as the tendency in this Montana town for people to protect their sports heroes. The legal system in Missoula and the society in which it operates take some hard tackles here. One would like to have seen Krakauer include more interviews with town residents, since the book could use a greater narrative depth. Even so, this is an important title on a topic that unfortunately continues to have currency. Verdict Mozhan Marno delivers a quietly powerful performance that never flags, even during the most disturbing passages. Both the book and the listener are in good hands with her. ["An engrossing journalistic account with graphic details that should appeal to true crime enthusiasts and victim advocates but may shock general readers": LJ 6/1/15 review of the Doubleday hc.]-Kelly Sinclair, Temple P.L., TX © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Amid the opportunities offered by the newfound independence of college is the chance to make new friends. Like most freedoms, this independence involves risks. For two of the girls in Krakauer's latest, the risks seemed typical of college life: party hard and then pass out. But as these girls lay in a semi-comatose state of inebriation, they were raped. They were raped by football players. This second fact makes everything much harder, from the odds of fighting off a strong attacker to the courage it takes to make an accusation that could affect the performance of the football team. The author makes his way through this highly charged topic with typical equanimity; yes, some girls do make false accusations, and truthfully, a community will protect football players to a degree beyond reason. But the focus continually returns to the lives of the young women. Even when armed with evidence from rape kits and testimony of witnesses, they are often accused of "asking for it" by lying unconscious on a couch, or by not screaming for help. Some young men and women never quite recover from the ordeal of testifying in court and then living with the subsequent verdict. Krakauer evenly relates the aftermath of this horrible crime. VERDICT Recommended for male and female high school seniors-to increase their understanding of consensual sex and the consequences of rape.-Diane Colson, Nashville Public Library © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The subject of campus rape has undergone scrutiny lately with press coverage focusing on sensational cases of false reporting as in the Duke University lacrosse scandal and the discredited Rolling Stone story about events related to the University of Virginia. Yet as noted here, unreported crimes appear to be a more common problem. Applying an impressive array of interviews, legal and newspaper files, and government and scientific papers, veteran author Krakauer (Under the Banner of Heaven; Into the Wild) meticulously details several recent cases in the college town of Missoula, MT. The author proposes to explain why at least 80 percent of such offenses are not reported and to explore their devastating repercussions. The book is organized around the dynamics of each case, from brutal act to offender disposition, in the context of the athlete-centered nature of Missoula and a complex interplay among local law enforcement, university personnel, and the Department of Justice. Krakauer debunks myths about rape and passionately argues for reform in attitudes and the procedures employed in such incidents. Essentially a case study, this book also raises universal issues about a serious social problem. -VERDICT An engrossing journalistic account with graphic details that should appeal to true crime enthusiasts and victim advocates but may shock general readers.-Antoinette Brinkman, formerly with Southwest -Indiana Mental Health Ctr. Lib., Evansville © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.