Several days ago, the dean at the University of Virginia wrote an open letter to Rolling Stone magazine to cite the false reporting they had done. In this highly controversial and now-stricken article, the dean was quoted as saying that UVA is a “rape school” and is portrayed as an uncaring administrator who didn’t bother to support the young woman who called out an entire frat for a gang-rape scenario in which she herself was a victim. The cover article has been remanded by the magazine, but the general underlying issue is still a hot topic of conversation on campuses all over the country, as rape on campus is rising to epidemic proportions.

However, in the midst of the barrage of angered debate about the topic, one esteemed journalist has written a focused and careful investigation of one school and its experiences with this horrific crime wave. Jon Krakauer brings us MISSOULA, and, above all other possibilities, it may raise the level of action that will be taken to ensure the safety of students of all genders and orientations to a much more mature and less reactive level.

Krakauer has made quite the career for himself. He takes on sensationalistc topics in books like INTO THE WILD and INTO THIN AIR, exciting adventure stories that end in tragedy, and UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, a revealing take on Mormonism. He goes at them with every tool he has --- mainly a love of language, an innate curiosity, the ability to remain truly unbiased, the kind of personality that gets his subjects to reveal things to him that they would tell no one else, and the ability to find the inherent drama of a piece without losing all of his integrity or that of his subjects. That makes him eminently readable, even when his topic is difficult. MISSOULA is no exception.

"Krakauer is a gifted journalist, and this is a highly recommended book. Be prepared to be shocked --- and please take that shock and use it whenever you can to support a woman or man who has suffered that kind of violence themselves."

The physical and psychological trauma that comes from underreported physical violence against women between the ages of 18 and 24 is a horrific byproduct of an uncaring justice system and a judgmental public that would rather support the existence of a despicable home filled with debauched students who see women as their playthings than help make sure that these ladies feel supported enough that they do not hide their attacks. Women are prone to PTSD due to the fact that they are unable to feel like they will be heard and get the right response from those who are supposed to protect them.

MISSOULA carefully looks at the acquaintance rape crimes committed against a series of young women in Missoula and details the difficulties they encountered whether they came forward or not. Krakauer has crafted a sensitive and careful investigation of all the horror they were up against, including the stigmatizing of their reputations on social media, fearful parents, demeaning police investigations, and confused college campuses that end up failing to support them in order to maintain the links between campuses and their alumni who want to ensure that the frat life they lived will be maintained for the coming generations, regardless of how barbaric the actions of those kids might be. When the call for equality across all genders and races is in the news so much, the call for justice for women who suffer these indignities and tragedies must be included more forcibly in the conversation. This book is a great start to that.

It is difficult to recommend a book that has so much violence and true horror in it. As a woman, as a parent, as someone who feels squeamish at the mere mention of physical violence, I had a hard time reading this tome but am glad I did. With a daughter entering high school next year and our collective family eyes being focused on the prize of a good college education for her in four years, MISSOULA has helped me hone in on some of the most important things I need to teach my teen in order to keep her strong, self-reliant and able to make good choices to try to fend off these situations in her own life. However, as Krakauer shows us, everyone is a possible victim, regardless of what they study, who their friends are, or what activities they enjoy. And with that, we should all feel inclined to make sure that young women always have a safe haven available to them when these horrible events take place.

I hope that MISSOULA fans public outrage and takes the conversation about rape in general into the realm of a caring, intelligent and truly empathetic legal response. Krakauer is a gifted journalist, and this is a highly recommended book. Be prepared to be shocked --- and please take that shock and use it whenever you can to support a woman or man who has suffered that kind of violence themselves.