What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape

Starred review from September 3, 2018
Abdulali (The Year of the Tiger) brings precision, clarity, and style to her exploration of a topic often treated as more confusing than it is. A former coordinator of a rape crisis center, she uses her own brutal rape as a touchstone and springboard for this series of extended reflections on the discourse surrounding rape, with stories from Australia, Egypt, India, Italy, South Africa, and the U.S. Drawing on interviews, personal emails, government reports, and other documents, Abdulali discusses varied scenarios, from date rate, marital rape, and incest to gang rape and war crimes, acknowledging the high rates of rape perpetrated against trans people and sex workers. She approaches debates about consent, responsibility, motive, honor, and prevention with deep compassion, humor, a healthy dose of irony, and anger. Though Abdulali doesn’t claim to have answers, the book’s assertions are clear: victims deserve belief, support, and a fair hearing; rapists, not their targets, are responsible for rape; and survivors can go on to live full and joyful lives. Her clear-eyed assessments, grace, and literary touches will make this book valuable reading for sociologists, therapists, feminists, and anyone who believes women should be able to move through the world free from fear.

December 1, 2018

Abdulali (Year of the Tiger) writes a candid, straightforward manifesto on sexual assault, rape culture, and where to go from here. The author revisits her own sexual assault story while sharing the account of dozens of others to design a convincing statement on what leads someone to commit sexual assault what society can and should do about it. Sprinkled throughout are elegantly written chapters that nicely complement the more research-leaning bulk comprising the rest of the book. These sections not only make the work artful but also contribute to a balance that highlights the reality of the topic with much-needed relief for such a horrific subject. Abdulali's authority on the matter is not to be second-guessed, as her impressive experience includes her own story and her work with other survivors of sexual assault. VERDICT With an approach reminiscent of Meg Jay (Supernormal), Abdulali achieves extraordinary success with this compulsively readable and effortlessly diverse first book no doubt guaranteed to become an important part of the canon on gender studies and sexual assault.--Abby Hargreaves, Dist. of Columbia P.L.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2018
In 2013, Abdulali wrote an op-ed for the New York Times about her own experience of rape and its aftermath. This book expands that essay, examining rape and rape culture on a global level and in the wake of the #MeToo movement. In the three decades since her rape, Abdulali has worked at a rape crisis center, interviewed survivors from around the world, and written extensively on the topic. But her book is by no means meant to be the final word on rape; she intends, in fact, to start a dialogue. In the introduction, she admits that she may contradict herself but that hers is no simple topic, and individual experiences of and responses to rape vary dramatically. She writes in a conversational style and injects a levity that, rather than betraying the seriousness of her subject, makes it more possible to handle the necessary yet horrifying details of rape of all kinds. An important book working towards an important goal: meaningful and thoughtful discussion of a taboo subject.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)