Welcome to Litsy!

So many shocking bits in this book including that Hugh Hefner helped fund the rape kit program.

This book tells the story of how the rape kit came into being and gives proper credit for its invention to Marty Goddard, a forgotten advocate for women and victims of sexual assault in Chicago. The author then takes on the task of trying to locate Ms. Goddard to give her the credit she is due. The book ends by looking at the sexism and issues sexual assault survivors still face today and looks at how things continue to evolve in modern times.

An incredibly compelling, frustrating, important, and infuriating read that truly has everything. Playboy founder being a force for good in the world, cops being cops, Chicago, dozens of women doing the world work without proper credit, and all the trauma that you might expect to find and some you wouldn‘t.

Very good. Thanks @Chelsea.Poole for putting this on my radar.

Marty Goddard wouldn‘t take no for an answer. She developed the rape kit but she didn‘t have an easy go of getting this established in hospitals and with investigations. She persisted! The author also goes into other devices created more recently to help those without access—at-home kits which may have issues with credibility, etc. But this was a fascinating read.

Bonus points for the audio because it‘s narrated by Claire Danes.

Sexual assault is something not many people know how to talk about. It‘s been around a long time, and so has its stigma. The ‘rape kit‘ is no exception. Mary/‘Marty‘ Goddard invented it because she was tired of the (still persisting) problem of the police not taking SA seriously. It isn‘t surprising that her kit was named after a man, not her. Kits have evolved and become better. Men have not stopped raping us, however. Read on for more.

It was interesting to learn about Marty Goddard and her advocating for rape victims. It was infuriating to learn about the attitudes toward rape at the time and the way police mistreated victims.

This is exactly why the title says it is. Now what I was not expecting is that this is an account more so on how the author herself searched for Marty, the actual creator of the rape kit. The book was written from her point of view, so that took some getting used to. Otherwise, the education was well put, with reference at the end. The second half was nice to look through on how the future of the tape kit continues. That it‘s still relevant

#FebruaryReCap - I got a lot off my shelves!
#OffTheShelf2025 @Librariana

I had to take breaks while reading this one. The subject matter was intense and just hit too close to home. We recent (or maybe its confirmation bias) patients coming into the ED with the need for rape kits, and I just hated the language among “professionals“ regarding these women.

#NonFiction
#MeToo
#OffTheShelf2025 @Librariana

This is a pacey look at the history of something I'd never thought about, just taken for granted (thinking of the language of police and medical dramas). Kennedy's book is based on an extended article, so it's a relatively quick read about a heavy subject.

I want to read more about the changes in approach and understanding of prosecuting attackers, the impact of dealing with the "rape kit backlog" and remote medicine.

Some politicians argued that survivors should be pushed into going to the hospital for their own good. Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia:...""What we need is trauma-informed care, not just the DNA. We should be encouraging women to go to a clinic...."

The problem with this logic was that so many survivors found the "trauma-informed care"' to be harrowing, and in the aftermath of an attack they didn't want to wait for ten hours in an ER ...

Feeling quite demoralised (work redundancies). This is the kind of inspiring reading that provides a bit of perspective.

If only.

I always love learning about trailblazing women &Goddard was certainly that. Her story has both triumph & tragedy, & her impact on the criminal justice system is still seen today.

There is a lot of the author‘s personal story intertwined throughout which I found an interesting decision given that she did not know Goddard & wasn‘t from the same generation. I commend her for being so open but did feel it took away from the flow & focus of the book.

A fascinating book. I applaud the author for trying so diligently trying to give credit where credit was due.