Real Rape by Susan R. Estrich

Product Details

Synopsis

Many men believe that they can force women to have sex against their will and that it isn't rape--at least, not if the man knows the women and doesn't beat her up or wield a weapon. The law's casual treatment of such rape cases is the subject of this pioneering book, which is both a powerful exposé of the often shocking facts and a trenchantly written call for reform.

Library Journal

The title refers to acquaintance rape, which the author, a Harvard Law School professor, maintains has frequently been characterized by the courts and the general public as not ``real rape.'' Estrich traces the legal history of rape by a non-stranger. Her unremarkable findings, that acquaintance rape has been and continues to be reported less often than stranger rape, to be prosecuted less frequently, and to result in conviction less often, are stated and restated throughout this very short bookonly about 100 pages are devoted to the text, the balance consisting of indexes and notes. She makes an articulate plea for change in the law and its application so that it will no longer be the rape victim who has to prove her innocence. Recommended for larger law collections. Anne Twitchell, Sch. of Architecture Library, University of Maryland, College Park

Biography

Susan Estrich is Robert Kingsley Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of Southern California.