vexyspice's review against another edition

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5.0

My brow furrowed often as it was disheartening to read about rape culture as a woman and reading how society (does not) respond to said culture.

historyofjess's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.5

There's a lot of info packed into this short volume, but I wasn't always sure who it was for, especially when, early on, Harding indicates that if you're reading this book, you probably already understand rape culture. I can't say that I really learned anything new here (except for maybe a few horrific stories of sexual assaults, in particular, a brief section in which she rounds up some gruesome gang wrap stories). That's not to say there's nothing useful here, for anyone that doesn't fully comprehend the scope and consequences of rape culture, but if it's something you've been well-read into for awhile, this is probably not for you and has the potential to be quite triggering at times.

alyshadeshae's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was difficult to get through and for good reason. Reading about rape and rape culture should never be easy, but maybe someday it will be history rather than current events.

I leave you with my favorite video on consent: https://youtu.be/oQbei5JGiT8

wrasea's review against another edition

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4.0

Must-Read.

kevin_shepherd's review against another edition

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5.0

I wish I lived in a country where my politicians didn’t say things like…

“Rape is kinda like the weather. If it’s inevitable, relax and enjoy it.” ~Clayton Williams, Texas

“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that thing down.” ~Todd Akin, Missouri

“Rape victims should make the best of a bad situation.” ~Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania

“Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, it is something that God intended to happen.” ~Richard Mourdock, Indiana

…but I don’t.

I wish I could turn on the television and not hear things like…

"I know it wasn't rape-rape. It was something else but I don't believe it was rape-rape.” ~Whoopie Goldberg on Roman Polanski vaginally and anally penetrating a 13 year old girl

or…

“The situation here for this kid looks to me to be a lot more fun than what he had under his old parents. He didn't have to go to school. He could run around and do whatever he wanted.” ~Bill O’Reilly on the kidnapping and repeated raping of a 15 year old boy

…but I can’t.

I wish people would believe Dylan Farrow when she writes…

“…when I was seven years old, Woody Allen took me by the hand and led me into a dim, closet-like attic on the second floor of our house. He told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother’s electric train set. Then he sexually assaulted me. He talked to me while he did it, whispering that I was a good girl, that this was our secret, promising that we’d go to Paris and I’d be a star in his movies.”

…but they don’t.

I wish the term “Rape Culture” was a ludicrous exaggeration…

…but it isn’t.

Kate Harding writes with both fervor and exasperation. Published in 2015, Asking For It predates Harvey Weinstein and #MeToo and the 2016 election of our “grab ‘em by the p*ssy” POTUS.

I wish the people that most needed to read this had actually read this, but they didn’t, and they haven’t, and they won’t.

notallbooks_mp's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

bluestjuice's review against another edition

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5.0

This is excellent, and it is recently published, so I would recommend reading it sooner than later, as the landscape of rape culture is changing yearly (and not all to the bad, on the whole, although there are also some troubling trends that seem to be on the upswing). I wasn't sure what to expect from this, and thought it might be fairly derivative and generic, but Harding actually does an excellent job citing from other works and studies and distilling many of the ideas in ways that make them easier to grasp. As rape culture and gender relations are not a new topic for me, I was pleased to discover more than one instance where she was able to articulate and clarify topics that I have found ambiguous, or at least difficult to fully articulate my reasons for feeling a certain way. Go read this. It's a distressing topic, but Harding's writing hit a sweet spot for me in managing to remain informal and conversational without negatively impacting the seriousness with which she treats her topic. Really very well done.

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

Plenty of citations and a handful of footnotes. I did find the use of the term "effing" to be frustratingly common and I think in a book unafraid to say 'penetrate' and 'penis' that the author should either use the word 'fucking' or rewrite the sentence to avoid the temptation to use 'effing.' Basically, swear or don't. There's no need to hide the urge behind asterisks or cutesy other terms. I wish there had been a bit more separation between hypothetical scenarios and actual cases and televised episode featuring sexual assault as it was somewhat easy to muddle up the information. 

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stevenyenzer's review against another edition

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3.0

As Harding acknowledges in her concluding chapter, Asking for It was outdated almost as soon as she finished it — and especially so with the Reckoning that is sweeping across politics, entertainment, and many other fields. Still, the book is a solid introduction to rape culture written in an enjoyably non-academic tone (i.e. plenty of cursing).

kitkatmn's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0