A Reading Experience in GIFs

Before I went to my in-laws’ place for Easter, I made a conscious decision not to bring any books that would send me raging. It had been a long, rage-inducing week and I thought it was maybe time for a break from that.

But as soon as I got back, I decided that actually it was time to read Jon Krakauer’s Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town. 

I don’t think that I can accurately describe to you what this reading experience has been like for me with words.

Before we begin with my visual representation of what it was like to read this book, here are some quotes from the book, to illustrate to you, dear reader, how important this book is.

According to a special report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice in December 2014, “For the period 1995-2013, females aged 18 to 24 had the highest rate of rape and sexual assault victimizations compared to females in all other age groups.” […] Using data gathered in 2011, the Centers for Disease Control study estimated that across all age groups, 19.3 percent of American women “have been raped in their lifetimes” and that 1.6 percent of American women – nearly two and a half million individuals – “reported that they were raped in the 12 months preceding the survey.”

Of writing this book, Krakauer writes,

As the scope of my research expanded, I was stunned to discover that many of my acquaintances, and even several women in my own family had been sexually assaulted by men they trusted. The more I listened to these women’s accounts, the more disturbed I became. I’d had no idea that rape was so prevalent, or could cause such deep and intractable pain. My ignorance was inexcusable, and it made me ashamed.

This is what it was like for me to read this book:

 

When you feel that you are ready for it, I hope you read it too. It’s an important one.

(If you’re not sure that you will ever be ready to devote the time to reading this, may I suggest watching The Hunting Ground on Netflix?)