The Department of Justice reports that 110,000 young women in the U.S. are raped yearly. At least 80% of those assaulted don't report it. And odds are that a rape is committed by a serial offender. Why? Jon Krakauer (Under the Banner of Heaven; Into Thin Air) explores the reasons in Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, an indictment of one American town emblematic of many.
Missoula's "greatest source of civic pride" is the University of Montana Grizzlies, whose football players display a sense of entitlement fostered by both school and town. In one case, a detective just wanted to ensure the accused player knew his actions weren't "acceptable." In addition, the supervisor of the sexual-assault division of the county attorney's office testified on the player's behalf at a University Court hearing, saying he was "too kind and compassionate" to be a rapist.
Many in the college milieu view accused athletes as beleaguered victims; students and non-student supporters vilify accusers. One young woman, raped by four players, said, "Mom, they're football players and nobody's gonna listen to me." The police chief discounted her claim of never giving consent since she had been intermittently semi-conscious, instead of unconscious.
Victims battle an "almost insurmountable" burden of proof. They tend to have impressionistic memories, rather than linear ones. The trauma "often results in seemingly bizarre behavior," and "involvement in the justice system may compound the original injury."
A 2014 Department of Justice report about Missoula was damning; since the report, changes have been made, but the Griz football team's "pernicious atmosphere of entitlement" is still a problem, mirroring other colleges' troubles.
Missoula is a passionate, maddening jeremiad--the right book at the right time. --Marilyn Dahl, editor, Shelf Awareness for Readers