Book Review: Missoula

I want to start this book review with a statement of fact: I am not a particularly voracious non-fiction reader. There are certain non-fiction books that really appeal to me, and most of those are historical. But every once in a while, I come across a non-fiction book that really piques my curiosity, and this book is one of them.

Jon Krakauer's most recent book, Missoula, was one I came across through an email from Audible.com. I am a huge believer in audiobooks, because I LOVE to read and I don't have copious amounts of time to do so. That, and I live in central Wyoming. We drive a lot. A lot. So audiobooks are great, and Missoula as an audiobook was just the ticket.

I've read some of Krakauer's books before, such as his book Under the Banner of Heaven, which is an absolutely fascinating look at a horrifying story stemming from Mormon extremists. Missoula takes on no less of a controversial topic, delving into a microcosm of the Rape Culture that seems to be so prevalent in the United States. Plus, the book exams the town of Missoula, Montana, which is part of the great Rocky Mountains that I live in. I've stayed in and traveled through Missoula countless times, and had lots friends that attended the University of Montana. Some family friends are diehard members of GrizNation, which is the term UM Grizzly fans call themselves. You can see why this book was of interest to me.

But when I started listening to the audiobook, the author's note at the beginning said something that really got my attention. While Krakauer chose Missoula to exam because of the prevalent rape scandal that had rocked the small town and ended up in the nation media, the research statistics indicate that Missoula is really no different than any other college town in the nation. That fact hit me hard, and I thought about my years spent in Laramie, a city that I love and loved all the time I spent there. I wondered how prevalent rape might be in Laramie, and if there was ever a night that I might have narrowly escaped becoming a victim, like the young women in Krakauer's book. The thought gave me shivers.

Krakauer's book is in his typical style: well-researched, carefully written, and the voice probing but not accusing. He chronicles the stories of several victims and perpetrators, including the Alison Huguet and Beau Donaldson case and the Kelsi Belnap gang rape, among others. The stories are harrowing and deeply disturbing, if not due to the women's testimony of rape, then due to the fact that the testimony of the young men accused seemed to indicate that the boys honestly believed they had not raped their accuser.

While Krakauer's book caused mixed feelings in Missoula (which you can read some about here), the book leaves the reader with lingering questions regarding the rape culture in the United States and what must be done about it.

I was left wondering why rape is so prominent in the US, and why are victims of rape subjected so often to scrutiny and doubt? Trauma research gives us so many facts regarding how victims react to such trauma, and yet when rape cases are prosecuted, victims are questioned and scrutinized, defamed and smeared in an effort to acquit the accusers.

Missoula isn't the easiest read, to be sure, as the descriptions of the rapes were oftentimes graphic and disturbing, but I think this issue (uncomfortable though it may be) requires our attention. I was deeply moved and affected by this book, and I think you will be too.

And as for the town of Missoula? It's still a beautiful little town, with a river running through it and a proud University tradition. While I can understand if the citizens felt singled out by the book, I think the point that really requires our attention is the fact that the stats in Missoula are no different from the stats in other college towns according the rape.

Wow. That thought has stayed with me, and makes me say extra prayers for all my graduated students who go off to college. Something, though I don't really know what, needs to be done.

Check out Missoula, and if you've read it, what do you think?

PS: If you are interested in this, check out Katie J.M Baker's Jezebel article. But be warned, it's quite potentially offensive, as it contains several F-bombs and references to drugs. Baker's points, however, are thought-provoking.

PPS: The Missoulian, Missoula's newspaper, covered the rape scandal through the writing of journalist Gwen Florio, who you can check out here.