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The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story
In 1972, Martha "Marty" Goddard volunteered at a crisis hotline, counseling girls who had been molested by their fathers, their teachers, their uncles. Soon, Marty was on a mission to answer a question: Why were so many sexual predators getting away with these crimes? By the end of the decade, she had launched a campaign pushing hospitals and police departments to collect evidence of sexual assault and treat survivors with dignity. She designed a new kind of forensics tool—the rape kit—and new practices around evidence collection that spread across the country. Yet even as Marty fought for women's rights, she allowed a man to take credit for her work.
When journalist Pagan Kennedy went looking for this forgotten pioneer, she discovered that even Marty Goddard's closest friends had lost track of her. As Pagan followed a trail of clues to solve the mystery of Marty, she also delved into the problematic history of forensics in America. The Secret History of the Rape Kit chronicles one journalist's mission to understand a crucial innovation in forensics and the woman who championed it. As Pagan Kennedy hunts for answers, she reflects on her own experiences with sexual assault and her own desire for justice.
When journalist Pagan Kennedy went looking for this forgotten pioneer, she discovered that even Marty Goddard's closest friends had lost track of her. As Pagan followed a trail of clues to solve the mystery of Marty, she also delved into the problematic history of forensics in America. The Secret History of the Rape Kit chronicles one journalist's mission to understand a crucial innovation in forensics and the woman who championed it. As Pagan Kennedy hunts for answers, she reflects on her own experiences with sexual assault and her own desire for justice.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2025
322 people are currently reading
7999 people want to read
About the author
Pagan Kennedy
26 books84 followersPagan Kennedy is a regular contributor to the New York Times and author of eleven books. A biography titled Black Livingstone made the NewYork Times Notable list and earned Massachusetts Book Award honors. She also has been the recipient of a Barnes and Noble Discover Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction, and a Smithsonian Fellowship for science writing. Visit her online at www.pagankennedy.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 804 reviews
June 12, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
There are respectful ways of discussing rape and sexual assault, and of telling the stories of the victims and survivors of these kinds of events. This book fails greatly to meet my expectations in either arena.
Kennedy claims to write this book as a "history" of the rape kit, and of the woman who invented it, Marty Goddard. But she spends much of the book describing her own experiences of sexual assault in a way that makes this feel very much like trauma porn and adds absolutely nothing to the story she claims to be telling. One minute, you will be reading about the struggles and successes Goddard faced as a woman trying to make a difference in how rape victims are treated and the evidence of the crimes against them are handled; the next, you will be thrust into a random and incredibly graphic story about Kennedy talking on the phone with a pedophile who had claimed to be her doctor when she was a child, or being held down and tortured in a basement by the sons of her mother's friends as a young teenager.
She also praises a number of TERF (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, or people who base their intolerance of transgender people on a hatred of men and a belief in "traditional" womanhood and the "divine" feminine, which is, at its roots, deeply misogynistic) organizations, and perpetuates the myths that men can't be raped and rape is an act of violence only used against women.
Even in the sections which do focus on Goddard's story, much of Kennedy's claims are largely based on speculation and heavily steeped in her own biases rather than actual evidence, which is unfortunately scant, as she admits. I will say that I'm grateful that she is at least somewhat aware of this, as she discusses multiple times her fantasies about herself and "Marty" (Kennedy unprofessionally insists on calling Goddard by her first name, stating that she believes them to be friends despite never having met, and Goddard being dead well before Kennedy even heard of her) bringing each other to justice, and Marty being a surrogate mother to her who would be better to her than her own mother, who Kennedy admits to shrugging off and putting away in a nursing home the moment she became inconvenient, while also, ironically, being horrified at the idea that someone might have put Marty in a nursing home.
While there is some excellent information present in this book about the history of forensics and sexual assault investigation, and of sexual assault care following the advent of the rape kit, it is, unfortunately, not enough to redeem this book in my eyes, or for me to ever recommend it to anyone. This is not a history of the rape kit, nor is it a biography of Marty Goddard; it is a story by a woman who, instead of going to therapy, obsessively catalogues her trauma and then releases it to the world under the guise of social justice.
There are respectful ways of discussing rape and sexual assault, and of telling the stories of the victims and survivors of these kinds of events. This book fails greatly to meet my expectations in either arena.
Kennedy claims to write this book as a "history" of the rape kit, and of the woman who invented it, Marty Goddard. But she spends much of the book describing her own experiences of sexual assault in a way that makes this feel very much like trauma porn and adds absolutely nothing to the story she claims to be telling. One minute, you will be reading about the struggles and successes Goddard faced as a woman trying to make a difference in how rape victims are treated and the evidence of the crimes against them are handled; the next, you will be thrust into a random and incredibly graphic story about Kennedy talking on the phone with a pedophile who had claimed to be her doctor when she was a child, or being held down and tortured in a basement by the sons of her mother's friends as a young teenager.
She also praises a number of TERF (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, or people who base their intolerance of transgender people on a hatred of men and a belief in "traditional" womanhood and the "divine" feminine, which is, at its roots, deeply misogynistic) organizations, and perpetuates the myths that men can't be raped and rape is an act of violence only used against women.
Even in the sections which do focus on Goddard's story, much of Kennedy's claims are largely based on speculation and heavily steeped in her own biases rather than actual evidence, which is unfortunately scant, as she admits. I will say that I'm grateful that she is at least somewhat aware of this, as she discusses multiple times her fantasies about herself and "Marty" (Kennedy unprofessionally insists on calling Goddard by her first name, stating that she believes them to be friends despite never having met, and Goddard being dead well before Kennedy even heard of her) bringing each other to justice, and Marty being a surrogate mother to her who would be better to her than her own mother, who Kennedy admits to shrugging off and putting away in a nursing home the moment she became inconvenient, while also, ironically, being horrified at the idea that someone might have put Marty in a nursing home.
While there is some excellent information present in this book about the history of forensics and sexual assault investigation, and of sexual assault care following the advent of the rape kit, it is, unfortunately, not enough to redeem this book in my eyes, or for me to ever recommend it to anyone. This is not a history of the rape kit, nor is it a biography of Marty Goddard; it is a story by a woman who, instead of going to therapy, obsessively catalogues her trauma and then releases it to the world under the guise of social justice.
January 7, 2025
This book is a deep dive into the history of laws pertaining to rape and how the rape kit was developed. It was shocking to learn how little the American justice system did for sexual assault victims prior to the kit. But what’s more disturbing was to learn how only in recent years laws have been passed to protect, give dignity to, and find justice for these women.
The hero of this story is Marty Goddard and her tireless efforts to advocate for assault victims. Even though Marty worked tirelessly to make the rape kit what it is today, she's not known for her creation. The author did an incredible job giving her a voice as well as making her massive achievement known.
I listened to the audiobook which was read by Claire Danes. If you decide to pick this one up, I highly recommend this format.
The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story by Pagan Kennedy will be available on January 14. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted copy!
The hero of this story is Marty Goddard and her tireless efforts to advocate for assault victims. Even though Marty worked tirelessly to make the rape kit what it is today, she's not known for her creation. The author did an incredible job giving her a voice as well as making her massive achievement known.
I listened to the audiobook which was read by Claire Danes. If you decide to pick this one up, I highly recommend this format.
The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story by Pagan Kennedy will be available on January 14. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted copy!
December 28, 2024
This book was a bit all over the place. The stuff on Marty Goddard and the rape kit was good and really engaging but the narrative structure was wonky and a bit confusing. What I really didn't care for in the book were the pieces of memoir that Kennedy added in about her own sexual abuse. It felt like a totally different book. The clarity of vision was not there. I also think because this book came from a successful piece in the NYT Kennedy just added to the book whatever fit instead of really fleshing out a strong book that added (personal or not) elements that were missing from the article. My sense, this could've just stayed an article.
February 5, 2025
This book was hard to read emotionally because of the fact that it was centered around rape, including child sexual abuse. But it was also hard to read because the woman at the heart of this book, Marty Goddard, suffered an incredible amount of PTSD. Yet without her own rape, we might not have the rape kit today. Sure, someone else may have created one, but the reason we had one as early as we did (1972) was because of her. Ultimately, after fighting tirelessly to educate police and prosecutors on facing their own misogyny, to get rape kits mainstreamed, and to teach healthcare professionals how to collect evidence while treating victims with care, she vanished. This book is about rape, the rape kit, racism and rape, and the mystery of what happened to Goddard.
I'm so deeply grateful to Goddard for her relentlessness in helping advance the capture of thousands of rapists and to Kennedy for doggedness in finding out what happened to Goddard while also exposing the problematic legalities of prosecuting rape (mainly because it is steeped in systemic misogyny, which is why the victims, who already blame themselves, are publicly humiliated, strongly discouraged from filing, and shamed as having caused their own assaults). This behavior from police, doctors, prosecutors, and society at large has been the same since the first woman was raped. But with the invention of the rape kit, women have a chance at standing up for ourselves.
Here follows what you might consider a spoiler, but really, it's all stuff you can Google, so stop here if you are sensitive about not wanting to know ANYTHING at all about the book beyond the summary above:
I thought Kennedy deftly handled the extra hurdles Black women have to face stemming from racist stereotypes. I appreciated how she reminded us of the many Black men who were lynched for having been accused of raping white women (which were often false accusations and a tool of the white patriarchy to keep women under their thumbs by insisting on their protection and limiting their mobility). She also points out how unfairly race is still being used against Black women by suggesting they wanted to be raped (a hypersexualized stereotype that was the common moral excuse for slaveowners raping women when the economic excuse wasn't convenient enough, rather than them having to admit they wanted to rape the women). She goes on to outline all the ways Black women are subjected to extra scrutiny and police indifference/vitriol. I think this is incredibly important for all readers to know. So I'm glad she put it in the book.
However, along the lines of social injustices, I wish she had also put a chapter (or even a paragraph) in there about rape and transwomen. Transpeople make up less than 2% of the US population, yet there is a higher proportion of violence of all kinds directed at transwomen, which often includes rape. Also, in light of the recent Presidential executive order rolling back protection for incarcerated transwomen and their forcible confinement to men's prisons (which would increase the rate of sexual violence against them, which was why W Bush signed Prison Rape Elimination Act in the first place), it would've been useful to understand the dynamic between rape and transwomen better.
On the topic of rape and Presidents, Obama had launched the Sexual Kit Initiative for the sole purpose of reducing the backlog of unopened rape kits in police stations across the country. There were over 400,000 waiting to be analyzed in his time. We are supposedly down to 12.5% of that now. Unfortunately, I fear the President who thinks it's ok to grab any woman by the pu$$y will do whatever he can to make that number go back up and even surpass the original 400,000.
I also liked the suggested evolution of how we can alleviate some of the pressure on the system by doing our own rape kits, but that would mean we either need to have them on hand or have them sold in places like drug stores, and I don't necessarily see either happening anytime soon (though hey, we have condoms and pregnancy tests sold over the counter now, and they used to be behind glass or behind the pharmacist's counter, so who knows!).
Rape is a horribly violent crime that often leaves the survivors in shambles. The more we talk about it, the more we can make people realize that it's the victims who need to be protected and not the rapists. Let's keep talking about it.
I can't recall who on Goodreads suggested this book to me. Thank you so much!
I'm so deeply grateful to Goddard for her relentlessness in helping advance the capture of thousands of rapists and to Kennedy for doggedness in finding out what happened to Goddard while also exposing the problematic legalities of prosecuting rape (mainly because it is steeped in systemic misogyny, which is why the victims, who already blame themselves, are publicly humiliated, strongly discouraged from filing, and shamed as having caused their own assaults). This behavior from police, doctors, prosecutors, and society at large has been the same since the first woman was raped. But with the invention of the rape kit, women have a chance at standing up for ourselves.
Here follows what you might consider a spoiler, but really, it's all stuff you can Google, so stop here if you are sensitive about not wanting to know ANYTHING at all about the book beyond the summary above:
I thought Kennedy deftly handled the extra hurdles Black women have to face stemming from racist stereotypes. I appreciated how she reminded us of the many Black men who were lynched for having been accused of raping white women (which were often false accusations and a tool of the white patriarchy to keep women under their thumbs by insisting on their protection and limiting their mobility). She also points out how unfairly race is still being used against Black women by suggesting they wanted to be raped (a hypersexualized stereotype that was the common moral excuse for slaveowners raping women when the economic excuse wasn't convenient enough, rather than them having to admit they wanted to rape the women). She goes on to outline all the ways Black women are subjected to extra scrutiny and police indifference/vitriol. I think this is incredibly important for all readers to know. So I'm glad she put it in the book.
However, along the lines of social injustices, I wish she had also put a chapter (or even a paragraph) in there about rape and transwomen. Transpeople make up less than 2% of the US population, yet there is a higher proportion of violence of all kinds directed at transwomen, which often includes rape. Also, in light of the recent Presidential executive order rolling back protection for incarcerated transwomen and their forcible confinement to men's prisons (which would increase the rate of sexual violence against them, which was why W Bush signed Prison Rape Elimination Act in the first place), it would've been useful to understand the dynamic between rape and transwomen better.
On the topic of rape and Presidents, Obama had launched the Sexual Kit Initiative for the sole purpose of reducing the backlog of unopened rape kits in police stations across the country. There were over 400,000 waiting to be analyzed in his time. We are supposedly down to 12.5% of that now. Unfortunately, I fear the President who thinks it's ok to grab any woman by the pu$$y will do whatever he can to make that number go back up and even surpass the original 400,000.
I also liked the suggested evolution of how we can alleviate some of the pressure on the system by doing our own rape kits, but that would mean we either need to have them on hand or have them sold in places like drug stores, and I don't necessarily see either happening anytime soon (though hey, we have condoms and pregnancy tests sold over the counter now, and they used to be behind glass or behind the pharmacist's counter, so who knows!).
Rape is a horribly violent crime that often leaves the survivors in shambles. The more we talk about it, the more we can make people realize that it's the victims who need to be protected and not the rapists. Let's keep talking about it.
I can't recall who on Goodreads suggested this book to me. Thank you so much!
June 24, 2025
4.0 Stars
This was a fascinating (but sad) look at the history of rape reporting and conviction. It goes through the long running history of not believing women and the challenges of getting justice, while centering around the creation of the first rape kits. It was a good read in my search to find more ethical true crime books.
This was a fascinating (but sad) look at the history of rape reporting and conviction. It goes through the long running history of not believing women and the challenges of getting justice, while centering around the creation of the first rape kits. It was a good read in my search to find more ethical true crime books.
June 12, 2024
2 stars for the history, negative 3 for the author's commentary and illogical analysis.
Let me preface this review by saying that I have a master's in Biological Anthropology (aka. the forensic identification of human crematory and skeleton remains among various isotopic and genotype tests). I took extensive notes about the content of this book and found the author to be grossly flawed in her logic and to be a deeply biased researcher to the point of misleading people about the premise of this book.
This is a book about the accomplishments of Marty Goddard, an unsung hero, if you will, who advocated for the rights of victims of all categories of sexual crimes. Ms. Goddard appears to have been an intrepid advocate for victims: male/female, young/old, incest, and all forms of sexual insult assault regardless of marriage status in spite of social prejudices and an overall lack of acknowledgement.
This lack of acknowledgement angers the author. Ironically, Ms. Goddard is characterized by said author as the type of woman who would deeply dislike the attention such acknowledgement would have granted her and appears to have actively avoided attention and social settings.
By virtue, the topic is fascinating and the history interesting. The author is the worst part about the book. The commentary does not enhance the history; it can be convoluted and muddles certain points. I have also found that the author is so clearly biased and controlled by her own confirmation bias that I am instinctively skeptical about quoted statements within the text. The author reads as a feminist extremist with a strong distrust of men and a romanticized view of Marty Goddard. The entire genesis of this book is her own anti-male bias and disbelief that a man could possibly have conceived the idea of a rape kit. Too bad her own research proves that the oldest recorded rape kit in the United States was created by a...man. Oops, the entire marketed premise is factually incorrect and admittedly said so by the author herself within her own book (Santa Ana kit).
Let me preface this review by saying that I have a master's in Biological Anthropology (aka. the forensic identification of human crematory and skeleton remains among various isotopic and genotype tests). I took extensive notes about the content of this book and found the author to be grossly flawed in her logic and to be a deeply biased researcher to the point of misleading people about the premise of this book.
This is a book about the accomplishments of Marty Goddard, an unsung hero, if you will, who advocated for the rights of victims of all categories of sexual crimes. Ms. Goddard appears to have been an intrepid advocate for victims: male/female, young/old, incest, and all forms of sexual insult assault regardless of marriage status in spite of social prejudices and an overall lack of acknowledgement.
This lack of acknowledgement angers the author. Ironically, Ms. Goddard is characterized by said author as the type of woman who would deeply dislike the attention such acknowledgement would have granted her and appears to have actively avoided attention and social settings.
By virtue, the topic is fascinating and the history interesting. The author is the worst part about the book. The commentary does not enhance the history; it can be convoluted and muddles certain points. I have also found that the author is so clearly biased and controlled by her own confirmation bias that I am instinctively skeptical about quoted statements within the text. The author reads as a feminist extremist with a strong distrust of men and a romanticized view of Marty Goddard. The entire genesis of this book is her own anti-male bias and disbelief that a man could possibly have conceived the idea of a rape kit. Too bad her own research proves that the oldest recorded rape kit in the United States was created by a...man. Oops, the entire marketed premise is factually incorrect and admittedly said so by the author herself within her own book (Santa Ana kit).
March 30, 2025
5 stars - read this one in one sitting - up until 2 am cause I would not put this book down!
Five hours and 240 pages - without a break. Once I opened the cover of this book I never put it down. This should be a must read for every policeman, every doctor and nurse, every social worker and therapist - anyone even remotely related to cases of molestation and rape.
To this day women are still blamed for rape - the clothes they wore, the number of drinks they had, if they flirted, letting themselves be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the darker the color of her skin, the more she is blamed. Black on black rape - the consensus 'isn't that what they do?' White on white rape - 'is she a prostitute? was she on drugs?' - from the elite white man's world.
Journalist Margo "Marty" Goddard wanted answers and solutions. By the 1980's she had developed a forensic tool - the rape kit - and was trying to teach police departments and hospitals how to use it. Marty let a man take credit for the development of the kit, knowing that he could get it patented and it would be more accepted than if a woman's name was attached to the product. It still had a rocky start. And by 2009 it was found that collected rape kits were laying in moldy piles all over the US, as evidence never tested. That year Detroit alone had over 11,000 such kits, some collected as far back as 1980 for victims ranging in age from ninety to a one month old. Time again for Goddard to dig in. That backlog of 400,000 kits has whittled down now to an estimate of about 50,000 - however the exact number is still not known.
Marty Goddard declined into alcoholism in the 1990's and as she had wished for, she became an unknown. Her final interview was in 2015 and she had descended into paranoia and mental illness by then. Her only contact was a nephew - her sisters son. Just as her forensic invention, the rape kit, started to gain acceptance in strategic places - police departments, court rooms and hospitals - Marty was in decline, both physically and mentally. She had already disappeared from public view, dissolved in obscurity. Her final instructions were no memorial, no funeral, no obituary. Her ashes were spread in Sedona, Arizona. And with that, her wishes were met, she vanished completely.
A highly educated woman, never looking for fame, just wanted to make the lives of women more important and on equal footing. We strongly thank her for her contributions and pray that another like minded person will pick up her torch and continue the fight.
Five hours and 240 pages - without a break. Once I opened the cover of this book I never put it down. This should be a must read for every policeman, every doctor and nurse, every social worker and therapist - anyone even remotely related to cases of molestation and rape.
To this day women are still blamed for rape - the clothes they wore, the number of drinks they had, if they flirted, letting themselves be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the darker the color of her skin, the more she is blamed. Black on black rape - the consensus 'isn't that what they do?' White on white rape - 'is she a prostitute? was she on drugs?' - from the elite white man's world.
Journalist Margo "Marty" Goddard wanted answers and solutions. By the 1980's she had developed a forensic tool - the rape kit - and was trying to teach police departments and hospitals how to use it. Marty let a man take credit for the development of the kit, knowing that he could get it patented and it would be more accepted than if a woman's name was attached to the product. It still had a rocky start. And by 2009 it was found that collected rape kits were laying in moldy piles all over the US, as evidence never tested. That year Detroit alone had over 11,000 such kits, some collected as far back as 1980 for victims ranging in age from ninety to a one month old. Time again for Goddard to dig in. That backlog of 400,000 kits has whittled down now to an estimate of about 50,000 - however the exact number is still not known.
Marty Goddard declined into alcoholism in the 1990's and as she had wished for, she became an unknown. Her final interview was in 2015 and she had descended into paranoia and mental illness by then. Her only contact was a nephew - her sisters son. Just as her forensic invention, the rape kit, started to gain acceptance in strategic places - police departments, court rooms and hospitals - Marty was in decline, both physically and mentally. She had already disappeared from public view, dissolved in obscurity. Her final instructions were no memorial, no funeral, no obituary. Her ashes were spread in Sedona, Arizona. And with that, her wishes were met, she vanished completely.
A highly educated woman, never looking for fame, just wanted to make the lives of women more important and on equal footing. We strongly thank her for her contributions and pray that another like minded person will pick up her torch and continue the fight.
February 7, 2025
I always love learning about trailblazing women and Martha Goddard was certainly that. Her story has both triumph and tragedy, and 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 and was not from the same generation. I commend her for being so open but did feel it took away from the flow and focus of the book.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
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 and was not from the same generation. I commend her for being so open but did feel it took away from the flow and focus of the book.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
March 23, 2025
Sometimes an otherwise meritable nonfiction book unfortunately falls short due to a challenging topic or concept. Sadly, I think this was the case here. I have been working for many years in an advocacy and mental health capacity with survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence, so when I heard this book was forthcoming, I was obviously quite enthusiastic about a history of the forensic examination kits that can be used to help prosecute sexual assault cases. However, due to fairly limited information available about Martha Goddard, a key contributor to this development, the book fell a bit into the “this could have remained a longform article” category. Additionally, Martha Goddard (who is deceased) was a very private, pretty complex, by all accounts passionate and somewhat eccentric person who had a difficult life that came to a difficult end, making her a challenging subject to write about, especially posthumously. I felt conflicted reading about her while feeling pretty concerned that she would not approve of the portrayal, or even of being portrayed at all. And since information about Goddard is scarce and perhaps in a sense unauthorized, the book is padded with some autobiographical and other content that isn’t necessarily uninteresting or irrelevant, but it also isn’t necessarily what readers may have been expecting and it doesn’t necessarily hang together seamlessly.
I also want to say that it really bothered me that the term “rape kit” was used throughout. I understand using it in the title and when discussing the time during which they were initially developed and the term was actually used. However, in a decade of my related work in a major U.S. city, I have never heard the term used once, by anyone involved, not even law enforcement: it’s simply not how we refer to sexual or domestic assault forensic exams anymore. It’s dated, slangy, not respectful, and minimizing. These exams are used in many types of sexual and intimate partner violence cases other than for rape. (This is especially important because sexual assault doesn’t always involve rape, and it’s not always possible for a survivor to know if they were raped, such as in cases of drug-facilitated assault, and survivors already often worry they weren’t “really” assaulted if they weren’t raped.) Plus, it isn’t a “kit,” and any kit elements are the least of it. Rather, it’s a complex process involving, sure, some tools and equipment, but mostly highly trained, specialized professionals, including nurses and advocates, along with strict and comprehensive medical protocols and legal procedures to help protect the integrity of evidence that already risks being misused and discredited in our systems that unfortunately are not built to handle these types of cases fairly or well.
I also want to emphasize that a very important reason to seek out one of these exams if you experience intimate partner or sexual violence - even if you have no plan or desire to report the crime - is because the trained nurses are also able to examine for and assist with specific health concerns, injuries, and risks associated with these types of violence: for just some instances, strangulation (which can cause hidden and later-onset damage), or STIs. It is a way to obtain some of the knowledgeable and specialized care that a survivor deserves.
Last, I also want to remark that this book seems very old-school feminism in that it seems to focus solely on women survivors. Men, including gay and trans men, also experience intimate partner violence and sexual violence, and they receive and can be assisted by these forensic exams - which is especially important given that abuse in these populations is underreported and often normalized or not believed.
I also want to say that it really bothered me that the term “rape kit” was used throughout. I understand using it in the title and when discussing the time during which they were initially developed and the term was actually used. However, in a decade of my related work in a major U.S. city, I have never heard the term used once, by anyone involved, not even law enforcement: it’s simply not how we refer to sexual or domestic assault forensic exams anymore. It’s dated, slangy, not respectful, and minimizing. These exams are used in many types of sexual and intimate partner violence cases other than for rape. (This is especially important because sexual assault doesn’t always involve rape, and it’s not always possible for a survivor to know if they were raped, such as in cases of drug-facilitated assault, and survivors already often worry they weren’t “really” assaulted if they weren’t raped.) Plus, it isn’t a “kit,” and any kit elements are the least of it. Rather, it’s a complex process involving, sure, some tools and equipment, but mostly highly trained, specialized professionals, including nurses and advocates, along with strict and comprehensive medical protocols and legal procedures to help protect the integrity of evidence that already risks being misused and discredited in our systems that unfortunately are not built to handle these types of cases fairly or well.
I also want to emphasize that a very important reason to seek out one of these exams if you experience intimate partner or sexual violence - even if you have no plan or desire to report the crime - is because the trained nurses are also able to examine for and assist with specific health concerns, injuries, and risks associated with these types of violence: for just some instances, strangulation (which can cause hidden and later-onset damage), or STIs. It is a way to obtain some of the knowledgeable and specialized care that a survivor deserves.
Last, I also want to remark that this book seems very old-school feminism in that it seems to focus solely on women survivors. Men, including gay and trans men, also experience intimate partner violence and sexual violence, and they receive and can be assisted by these forensic exams - which is especially important given that abuse in these populations is underreported and often normalized or not believed.
January 30, 2025
I actually received an Kindle ARC of this, but I prefer listening to nonfiction rather than reading it so I held out for release day and made sure I was first in line at the library for an audio version. I don’t have many notes – if this history interests you, then this book delivers by being well researched with regard to these “kits” and rape forensics in general.
Really, the only thing worth mentioning is a negative in that I felt the author’s personal history should have been left aside. I knew nothing of her before reading this, but she makes sure it is known she has written about / has published the details of her life prior to this so it was even more unnecessary to be included here. I equivocate those asides to being on a forum (such as this), where contributors take everything to a personal level with complete strangers who were not aware they were signing up for a trauma dump on a simple post/book review. It was jarring and out of place.
Still Four Stars for not only holding my interest, but getting me out of the garage “gym” and walking outdoors despite it being 20 degrees outside. Oh and once again, I had zero awareness that a famous person was narrating this to me. I am oblivious! (But she did a good job LOL.)
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
Really, the only thing worth mentioning is a negative in that I felt the author’s personal history should have been left aside. I knew nothing of her before reading this, but she makes sure it is known she has written about / has published the details of her life prior to this so it was even more unnecessary to be included here. I equivocate those asides to being on a forum (such as this), where contributors take everything to a personal level with complete strangers who were not aware they were signing up for a trauma dump on a simple post/book review. It was jarring and out of place.
Still Four Stars for not only holding my interest, but getting me out of the garage “gym” and walking outdoors despite it being 20 degrees outside. Oh and once again, I had zero awareness that a famous person was narrating this to me. I am oblivious! (But she did a good job LOL.)
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
May 7, 2024
Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor publishing for this advanced reader's copy. This was a fascinating book about the true woman behind the rape kit. It is extremely upsetting (but ultimately, not unbelievable) that it took until 1971 and a woman to deliver us the first rape kit. Marty Goddard was working at a crisis hotline and could not take it anymore, listening to survivor after survivor's story and hearing the same thing. She had to do something to stop these predators. Police would bungle cases if women came in to report a rape, assume it was a robbery instead, and make the women return home in hospital gowns and slippers. No wonder no women wanted to report anything if they weren't going to handled or taken seriously. Praise this woman for seeing a serious wrong and creating a path for these survivors to try to get justice.
March 24, 2025
trigger warning for graphic descriptions of sexual abuse
very informative, notably on the police system’s corruption when handling sexual abuse reports. this is my first time reading a nonfiction book, and i’m happy that this read was easily digestible and accessible
very informative, notably on the police system’s corruption when handling sexual abuse reports. this is my first time reading a nonfiction book, and i’m happy that this read was easily digestible and accessible
June 29, 2024
I received an ARC of the book from NetGalley, and this is my voluntary and unbiased review.
This non-fiction story, that reads like a piece of journalism, tells the amazing and previously unknown life of Marty Goddard. She is the woman who created the rape kit, which completely changed how we sexual assault cases are handled and investigated. Despite her important contribution, Marty Goddard's story disappeared from history, and this book brings her incredible achievements to light.
I was completely fascinated by this book from start to finish. Pagan Kennedy did an excellent job of documenting her attempts to locate Marty Goddard, and obtain a factual history of the crucial role she played in developing the rape kit. This is a history that I was almost completely unaware of, and I now view Marty Goddard as a major hero in the fight for justice for sexual assault victims. This book explored how for centuries sexual assault was considered to be unprovable, therefore was never taken seriously. I also appreciated how this white author took time to highlight the major differences that white women face when it comes to sexual assaults, compared to women of color. This is a book you do not want to miss.
This non-fiction story, that reads like a piece of journalism, tells the amazing and previously unknown life of Marty Goddard. She is the woman who created the rape kit, which completely changed how we sexual assault cases are handled and investigated. Despite her important contribution, Marty Goddard's story disappeared from history, and this book brings her incredible achievements to light.
I was completely fascinated by this book from start to finish. Pagan Kennedy did an excellent job of documenting her attempts to locate Marty Goddard, and obtain a factual history of the crucial role she played in developing the rape kit. This is a history that I was almost completely unaware of, and I now view Marty Goddard as a major hero in the fight for justice for sexual assault victims. This book explored how for centuries sexual assault was considered to be unprovable, therefore was never taken seriously. I also appreciated how this white author took time to highlight the major differences that white women face when it comes to sexual assaults, compared to women of color. This is a book you do not want to miss.
November 6, 2024
A highly significant work of investigative journalism, feminism, and a tragic personal recounting.
This is a nonfiction memoir/biography extended from an NYT article about Marty Goddard, the indisputable inventor of the rape kit, who kickstarted the evidence collection for sexual assault cases. Her work was attributed to a male inventor, Vitullo, for decades. The book is well-researched, albeit with gaps Kennedy fills in fancifully (the true crime nonfiction aficionado may not like how personal this book gets since Kennedy also includes graphic details of her own trauma, which were difficult to read). Still, this book is incredibly important and it definitely educated me about the state of affairs behind the forensic aspect of sexual assault cases.
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor publishing for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This is a nonfiction memoir/biography extended from an NYT article about Marty Goddard, the indisputable inventor of the rape kit, who kickstarted the evidence collection for sexual assault cases. Her work was attributed to a male inventor, Vitullo, for decades. The book is well-researched, albeit with gaps Kennedy fills in fancifully (the true crime nonfiction aficionado may not like how personal this book gets since Kennedy also includes graphic details of her own trauma, which were difficult to read). Still, this book is incredibly important and it definitely educated me about the state of affairs behind the forensic aspect of sexual assault cases.
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor publishing for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
July 5, 2025
The Secret History of the Rape Kit tells the story of Marty Goddard - the woman who first came up with the idea for the "rape kit." We learn about the struggles she faced in her movement and the strong will she had as a person. I think there was a lot of important information in here, but unfortunately was bogged down by the author's personal memoir within the pages. The format was scattered and there didn't seem to be a clear timeline, jumping back and forth throughout.
April 26, 2025
An absolute must-read for everyone.
A journalist explores the origins of the rape kit; it is commonly referred to as the Vitullo Kit (after the inventor, a cop named Louis Vitullo). She questions that this can't possibly be right and cites how invention is SO often created from entrepreneur individuals that are inherently connected to the problem they're trying to solve.
So how is it that a white male Chicago cop—at the very height of the corruption and distrust of the Chicago Police Force—is credited to the invention and implementation of the rape kit? She goes down rabbit trail after rabbit trail to find out the true story of Martha "Marty" Goddard, the REAL and uncredited mastermind of the rape kit (among many other heroic feats in the sexual crimes survivors advocacy realm). But what happened to her? And why don't her family and friends know where she is?
I was absolutely gripped by this true-story tale and thought the author did a beautiful job of weaving in important political context involving women's rights, blatant racism, police corruption, and her own beautifully raw tale that drew her to the story in the first place. She goes on a journey tracking down co-workers, old obscure interviews, and more to find Marty herself and the real story.
You will not believe the impact this single woman had on changing the landscape of how survivors are treated, tried, and advocated for. My jaw was on the floor time and time again. This book will stay for me forever—I can't recommend it enough. In the running for my favorite book of the year.
A journalist explores the origins of the rape kit; it is commonly referred to as the Vitullo Kit (after the inventor, a cop named Louis Vitullo). She questions that this can't possibly be right and cites how invention is SO often created from entrepreneur individuals that are inherently connected to the problem they're trying to solve.
So how is it that a white male Chicago cop—at the very height of the corruption and distrust of the Chicago Police Force—is credited to the invention and implementation of the rape kit? She goes down rabbit trail after rabbit trail to find out the true story of Martha "Marty" Goddard, the REAL and uncredited mastermind of the rape kit (among many other heroic feats in the sexual crimes survivors advocacy realm). But what happened to her? And why don't her family and friends know where she is?
I was absolutely gripped by this true-story tale and thought the author did a beautiful job of weaving in important political context involving women's rights, blatant racism, police corruption, and her own beautifully raw tale that drew her to the story in the first place. She goes on a journey tracking down co-workers, old obscure interviews, and more to find Marty herself and the real story.
You will not believe the impact this single woman had on changing the landscape of how survivors are treated, tried, and advocated for. My jaw was on the floor time and time again. This book will stay for me forever—I can't recommend it enough. In the running for my favorite book of the year.
June 7, 2024
This was a difficult read, it's going to be a difficult book to review and a difficult book to rate.
Kennedy has done some great research in uncovering the history of the rape kit and investigating the life of its inventor, Marty Goddard. It’s an important, forgotten, obscured story that deserves to be told. But I had a difficult time with the author, Kennedy and her voice in the book. It’s a hybrid memoir-biography, with the biography covering a woman Kennedy has never met, and the memoir covering her own sexual trauma. For me, there was more about Kennedy than I needed or wanted to hear. There are several graphic assault scenes described in the book, from Kennedy’s own experiences to cases that are covered and even Goddard’s own assault that she confided with friends about. From reading the biography, I don’t think Goddard would have been comfortable with her rape being publicized, let alone described in graphic detail. I can understand how parts of these accounts are essential – Goddard’s rape had a huge effect on her life, for example, but learning exactly how she was assaulted seems at best unnecessary and at worst exploitative.
I expected to love this book, and instead I’m left thinking more about the ethics of what Kennedy has written.
***Review of a digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). The text of an advance edition may differ slightly from the final market version that is distributed for sale. Received via NetGalley.
Kennedy has done some great research in uncovering the history of the rape kit and investigating the life of its inventor, Marty Goddard. It’s an important, forgotten, obscured story that deserves to be told. But I had a difficult time with the author, Kennedy and her voice in the book. It’s a hybrid memoir-biography, with the biography covering a woman Kennedy has never met, and the memoir covering her own sexual trauma. For me, there was more about Kennedy than I needed or wanted to hear. There are several graphic assault scenes described in the book, from Kennedy’s own experiences to cases that are covered and even Goddard’s own assault that she confided with friends about. From reading the biography, I don’t think Goddard would have been comfortable with her rape being publicized, let alone described in graphic detail. I can understand how parts of these accounts are essential – Goddard’s rape had a huge effect on her life, for example, but learning exactly how she was assaulted seems at best unnecessary and at worst exploitative.
I expected to love this book, and instead I’m left thinking more about the ethics of what Kennedy has written.
***Review of a digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). The text of an advance edition may differ slightly from the final market version that is distributed for sale. Received via NetGalley.
January 23, 2025
I found the information about Marty Goddard and her work developing the First Rape Kit in the 1970’s to be incredible. She was able to formulate ideas for putting an actual kit in a box together, but also envisioned a process that would be professional and go from trained nurse to the police department and eventually the district attorney’s office to prosecute Rape as a Real Crime that it is. She believed women and their stories and did not want rape to be judged based on the police’s idea of the woman’s virtue. She took each case seriously and saw how new technology could also translate into being taken more seriously. She dedicated herself to assisting rape victims. Then suddenly she was not heard from much again.
So, this was the best part of the book. After, Marty seems to have developed a mental illness and also became an alcoholic, less is known about her. It seems the author idealized her due to her own background of sexual abuse as a child. Yet, the book began to jump around a lot at this point and it became less clear what was fact and what the author assumed. This was detrimental and it seemed that there was much added in information that really did not add much to the story. The author begins to describe in graphic detail her own story and that reads more as a memoir. It was alright and even brave to mention this, but the way it was done did not weave well into a factual discussion of the rape kit or Marty.
Overall, I did enjoy this book as the vision to get rape kits started in Chicago was visionary and took much work to achieve. Martha “Marty” Goddard certainly deserved credit and praise for her role in this. It is wonderful that she is finally getting that. However, the book wanders a bit and since this was originally a magazine article it seems perhaps the author was trying to add content when she really didn’t have additional information. She never knew Marty and doesn’t give too much information from those who knew her that expands on this story. She does describe a rape Marty lived through and have to wonder if the very detailed description of this crime would have been something Marty would have actually wanted. I think this should have been considered more.
Thank you NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor, and Pagan Kennedy for a copy of this book. I always write reviews of books I read.
So, this was the best part of the book. After, Marty seems to have developed a mental illness and also became an alcoholic, less is known about her. It seems the author idealized her due to her own background of sexual abuse as a child. Yet, the book began to jump around a lot at this point and it became less clear what was fact and what the author assumed. This was detrimental and it seemed that there was much added in information that really did not add much to the story. The author begins to describe in graphic detail her own story and that reads more as a memoir. It was alright and even brave to mention this, but the way it was done did not weave well into a factual discussion of the rape kit or Marty.
Overall, I did enjoy this book as the vision to get rape kits started in Chicago was visionary and took much work to achieve. Martha “Marty” Goddard certainly deserved credit and praise for her role in this. It is wonderful that she is finally getting that. However, the book wanders a bit and since this was originally a magazine article it seems perhaps the author was trying to add content when she really didn’t have additional information. She never knew Marty and doesn’t give too much information from those who knew her that expands on this story. She does describe a rape Marty lived through and have to wonder if the very detailed description of this crime would have been something Marty would have actually wanted. I think this should have been considered more.
Thank you NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor, and Pagan Kennedy for a copy of this book. I always write reviews of books I read.
April 20, 2025
For being such a short book this was still way longer than it needed to be. I found the structure all over the place and distracting from the story she was trying to tell about Marty. I see some other reviewers were bothered by the author inserting herself in the book—I didn’t mind that, I think it was a good way to draw a line from the world and issues of 1970s to today’s world and issues, except that it was poorly executed. I think that was because she was trying to keep it such a mystery what happened to Marty, which was stupid too. Surprise surprise, a woman invented something, a man got credit and fame, and the woman fell into obscurity and poverty (not only due to the invention, but other systemic issues like rape etc., the daily psychic damage of living in the world as a woman, etc.).
Also lowkey the author seems like a bad journalist lol. So many times she was like “I was determined to find Marty, but there were no clues. She did do an interview with a CNN journalist a couple years ago, but I didn’t want to ask my colleague for her contact information—I felt a need to find her all on my own with my research skills.” Girl! Lowkey serves her right that Marty died before she tracked her down.
Anyway, even though this book didn’t like open my eyes or surprise me, I’m glad I read it. My favorite part was the sections on how what we count as “technology” and “inventions” are drawn almost completely along gender lines. Women aren’t allowed to file patents—>all recognized inventors are men—>”Why would we let women file patents? It’s not like they’re inventing anything, just look at the recognized inventors, no women.”—>”Okay fineeeee women can file patents but look only like five of them did because the rest of them are trapped in patriarchy in a real way so like what was the point.” etc. etc. etc. cycle forever. Again, that didn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know (here’s how I can make this about Wordslut), but it’s always cathartic to hear that topic addressed.
Also lowkey the author seems like a bad journalist lol. So many times she was like “I was determined to find Marty, but there were no clues. She did do an interview with a CNN journalist a couple years ago, but I didn’t want to ask my colleague for her contact information—I felt a need to find her all on my own with my research skills.” Girl! Lowkey serves her right that Marty died before she tracked her down.
Anyway, even though this book didn’t like open my eyes or surprise me, I’m glad I read it. My favorite part was the sections on how what we count as “technology” and “inventions” are drawn almost completely along gender lines. Women aren’t allowed to file patents—>all recognized inventors are men—>”Why would we let women file patents? It’s not like they’re inventing anything, just look at the recognized inventors, no women.”—>”Okay fineeeee women can file patents but look only like five of them did because the rest of them are trapped in patriarchy in a real way so like what was the point.” etc. etc. etc. cycle forever. Again, that didn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know (here’s how I can make this about Wordslut), but it’s always cathartic to hear that topic addressed.
April 28, 2025
Just read it.
It’s short.
And it’s worth it.
It’s short.
And it’s worth it.
January 13, 2025
The Secret History of the Rape Kit starts off strong detailing Martha "Marty" Goddard's activism and her work creating the rape kit. However, in part two, it gets lost narratively after the author discovers The book then becomes very disjointed and it seems like Kennedy is throwing whatever related material might fit. There was potential here but it should have stayed an article.
February 4, 2025
First up on my non-fiction reads of 2025 - The Secret History of the Rape Kit.
Thank you, PRH Audio, for the free copy of this book {partner}
Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 1.14.2025
Pages: 237
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆
“When we drive through a tunnel or climb a flight of stairs, most of us don’t think about who designed the path that we’re traveling and how that person intended to shape our behavior and yet the infrastructure we use every day is constantly feeding us messages about who is important and who is not.”
Having worked with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault for six years, I found this book deeply compelling. I realized, with a sense of humility, that I had never really thought about the origins of the rape kit—who advocated for its development or where it came from. While I’ve reviewed evidence from these kits in the past, I never paused to consider the individuals who fought for its creation and use.
What I found particularly difficult to come to terms with, while listening to The Secret History of the Rape Kit, was the realization that much of what is discussed occurred in the not-so-distant past. And, if we’re truly honest, many of these issues continue to persist in our society today, especially in the way survivors of sexual violence are treated. It’s heartbreaking that being treated with respect and dignity after such an unimaginable violation is still seen as a privilege, rather than a fundamental right.
Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆☆
Claire Danes narrates The Secret History of the Rape Kit with a calm, measured tone that balanced the emotional intensity of the story. Her voice makes the often difficult subject matter more accessible, allowing listeners to engage with the content while still feeling the weight of the narrative.
I recommend reading The Secret History of the Rape Kit if you’re looking to learn more about an overlooked moment in history.
______
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Thank you, PRH Audio, for the free copy of this book {partner}
Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 1.14.2025
Pages: 237
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆
“When we drive through a tunnel or climb a flight of stairs, most of us don’t think about who designed the path that we’re traveling and how that person intended to shape our behavior and yet the infrastructure we use every day is constantly feeding us messages about who is important and who is not.”
Having worked with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault for six years, I found this book deeply compelling. I realized, with a sense of humility, that I had never really thought about the origins of the rape kit—who advocated for its development or where it came from. While I’ve reviewed evidence from these kits in the past, I never paused to consider the individuals who fought for its creation and use.
What I found particularly difficult to come to terms with, while listening to The Secret History of the Rape Kit, was the realization that much of what is discussed occurred in the not-so-distant past. And, if we’re truly honest, many of these issues continue to persist in our society today, especially in the way survivors of sexual violence are treated. It’s heartbreaking that being treated with respect and dignity after such an unimaginable violation is still seen as a privilege, rather than a fundamental right.
Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆☆
Claire Danes narrates The Secret History of the Rape Kit with a calm, measured tone that balanced the emotional intensity of the story. Her voice makes the often difficult subject matter more accessible, allowing listeners to engage with the content while still feeling the weight of the narrative.
I recommend reading The Secret History of the Rape Kit if you’re looking to learn more about an overlooked moment in history.
______
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofc...
Follow me on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/chaptersofc...
Follow me on StoryGraph:https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofc...
June 6, 2025
4.5 stars--Part history, part true crime, and part investigative journalism piece, SECRET HISTORY is a stunning book that will engage readers and may cause them to rethink some previously held assumptions about how violent crime victims are treated in law enforcement and medical settings.
Readers get a history lesson about the not-long-ago era in which activists had to push law enforcement to even take sexual assault seriously as a crime, let alone find ways to forensically document it. When the book details the enormous amount of untested forensic evidence sitting in the backlog, sometimes for decades, it’s a staggering concept to wrap one’s mind around.
While the topic is difficult, this is an important book that deserves a wider audience.
Readers get a history lesson about the not-long-ago era in which activists had to push law enforcement to even take sexual assault seriously as a crime, let alone find ways to forensically document it. When the book details the enormous amount of untested forensic evidence sitting in the backlog, sometimes for decades, it’s a staggering concept to wrap one’s mind around.
While the topic is difficult, this is an important book that deserves a wider audience.
March 2, 2025
Medium soft DNF @ 59 for me.
I do not like the structure of this book.
I loved the history lessons and interview style updates, but the deep dive into personal trauma was a bit too much for me. I would be deep in a history lesson, learning about some fierce woman pushing against injustice, and then in the next moment I’m thrown into a heart wrenching story about abuse told from the survivors perspective (with seemingly no direct connection to what was just discussed).
It did not fit with what the author was trying to portray with “the history of the r*pe kit.”
This honestly should have been in two parts. Something like Part 1: Marty. Part 2: Personal - just to give the readers some choice whether they want to read what could essentially be seen as a trauma dump.
Even with this being said; this is not to rag on the author, nor is it to shame anyone for getting their story, perspective or experience out there. We should always create safe spaces for this, so I encourage it. I just think the book would have benefited from a different structuring.
4/10 would recommend?
I do not like the structure of this book.
I loved the history lessons and interview style updates, but the deep dive into personal trauma was a bit too much for me. I would be deep in a history lesson, learning about some fierce woman pushing against injustice, and then in the next moment I’m thrown into a heart wrenching story about abuse told from the survivors perspective (with seemingly no direct connection to what was just discussed).
It did not fit with what the author was trying to portray with “the history of the r*pe kit.”
This honestly should have been in two parts. Something like Part 1: Marty. Part 2: Personal - just to give the readers some choice whether they want to read what could essentially be seen as a trauma dump.
Even with this being said; this is not to rag on the author, nor is it to shame anyone for getting their story, perspective or experience out there. We should always create safe spaces for this, so I encourage it. I just think the book would have benefited from a different structuring.
4/10 would recommend?
April 29, 2025
This wasn't really what I expected. From the title, I expected a true crime narrative that centered on a rape that necessitated the invention of a kit to investigate it. That's not what this is. The "crime" perpetrated here is a tale as old as time: a man took credit for a woman's work.
Oh man, I sure hope you were sitting down for that shock. I should've warned you. Sorry about that!
Anyway, the book was good - it's more of a biography of Marty Goddard, the actual inventor of the forensic rape kit, and her years of advocacy for victims, before her sudden disappearance from the public sphere due to trauma and mental health issues.
I found it all fascinating, and I learned a lot about a woman I had never heard of, and the hard work she put in to change hearts and minds and policies around ACTUALLY investigating rape and treating the victims of it with dignity and respect - as opposed to the general attitude of the Ol' Boys Club of most police departments, which could basically be summed up as "she must've been asking for it, and if she wasn't, she likely deserved it anyway".
And they said chivalry was dead. >_>
Marty Goddard's work and legacy continues to benefit society, despite her never getting credit for it during her lifetime. A true unsung hero.
Oh man, I sure hope you were sitting down for that shock. I should've warned you. Sorry about that!
Anyway, the book was good - it's more of a biography of Marty Goddard, the actual inventor of the forensic rape kit, and her years of advocacy for victims, before her sudden disappearance from the public sphere due to trauma and mental health issues.
I found it all fascinating, and I learned a lot about a woman I had never heard of, and the hard work she put in to change hearts and minds and policies around ACTUALLY investigating rape and treating the victims of it with dignity and respect - as opposed to the general attitude of the Ol' Boys Club of most police departments, which could basically be summed up as "she must've been asking for it, and if she wasn't, she likely deserved it anyway".
And they said chivalry was dead. >_>
Marty Goddard's work and legacy continues to benefit society, despite her never getting credit for it during her lifetime. A true unsung hero.
June 27, 2025
I found this story about the history of the development of the rape kit quite compelling. It's an interesting blend of history and biography; both a story of a person and of a social development. Unsurprising but still bleak misogyny sits at the centre of this story. Grim but informative reading.
February 27, 2025
Once again a remarkable woman I had never heard of! Amazing fighter for women’s rights, and so maddening that her rape kit design was stolen by a freaking MAN!
January 23, 2025
Thank you so much Random House and Netgalley for this free arc! This book was heartbreakingly eye opening. There were so many things I didn���t know. The absolute disgust I felt reading about men and rape culture in the 70’s and 80’s.
“At the time (1970s) it was still legal in every state in America for a husband to force himself on his wife. Sexual violence that happened inside a house, inside a family, was not considered rape.”
Part of the eye opening experience I endured reading this was realizing that the rape kit was invented and utilized in the 80’s. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF RAPE KITS WERE STORED AND UNPROCESSED FOR DECADES until the Obama administration in 2015 granted millions of dollars to test these samples, FINALLY. Which led to an insane amount of convictions. The police officers didn’t care before this point in time. They treated rape survivors like a joke, hanging women’s panties over the sexual crime department in one Chicago police department.
“So many girls were crying rape, what’s the point of looking for physical evidence?” - a police detective in Pennsylvania
Yall. It’s despicable. All the false imprisonment of black men. Interrogating rape survivors for hours after they’ve been brutally assaulted and then saying “We don’t believe you. Women can’t be raped against their will.” This was so eye opening and I’m just absolutely floored that it took over 30 years for anyone to take it seriously AND ITS STILL NOT.
“The attitude of the state was, she said, “What the heck, it’s Black on Black no big deal.”
If anything, I recommend this book as some really good education on rape culture and the decades of sweat and tears it took to even have the system we have today.
.
.
.
ʏᴏᴜʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
•True Crime
•Women’s rights
•Current events
•Biography
“At the time (1970s) it was still legal in every state in America for a husband to force himself on his wife. Sexual violence that happened inside a house, inside a family, was not considered rape.”
Part of the eye opening experience I endured reading this was realizing that the rape kit was invented and utilized in the 80’s. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF RAPE KITS WERE STORED AND UNPROCESSED FOR DECADES until the Obama administration in 2015 granted millions of dollars to test these samples, FINALLY. Which led to an insane amount of convictions. The police officers didn’t care before this point in time. They treated rape survivors like a joke, hanging women’s panties over the sexual crime department in one Chicago police department.
“So many girls were crying rape, what’s the point of looking for physical evidence?” - a police detective in Pennsylvania
Yall. It’s despicable. All the false imprisonment of black men. Interrogating rape survivors for hours after they’ve been brutally assaulted and then saying “We don’t believe you. Women can’t be raped against their will.” This was so eye opening and I’m just absolutely floored that it took over 30 years for anyone to take it seriously AND ITS STILL NOT.
“The attitude of the state was, she said, “What the heck, it’s Black on Black no big deal.”
If anything, I recommend this book as some really good education on rape culture and the decades of sweat and tears it took to even have the system we have today.
.
.
.
ʏᴏᴜʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
•True Crime
•Women’s rights
•Current events
•Biography
August 11, 2025
“In other words, sexual assault forensics began as a system for men to decide if a woman deserved to be considered a victim at all. It had little to do in identifying a perpetrator or establishing the truth.”
I was slightly disappointed in the book. While the sections on the rape kit and Marty Goddard were interesting, the book’s structure was very messy and included material that distracted from whatever it was trying to achieve. It was difficult to follow because the storytelling flow kept being interrupted to discuss other topics (often ones that felt like trauma porn about rape, which made it difficult to read).
I also think many of the additional sections were overly focused on the male perspective, such as the emphasis on the male police force or the rapist. In my opinion, the book was rarely empowering or centered women properly; it was too busy emphasizing how the world fails women (which is fair, but I felt it could have done more).
I think this is an important topic but this book was too busy and messy? It would have been better as an article.
I was slightly disappointed in the book. While the sections on the rape kit and Marty Goddard were interesting, the book’s structure was very messy and included material that distracted from whatever it was trying to achieve. It was difficult to follow because the storytelling flow kept being interrupted to discuss other topics (often ones that felt like trauma porn about rape, which made it difficult to read).
I also think many of the additional sections were overly focused on the male perspective, such as the emphasis on the male police force or the rapist. In my opinion, the book was rarely empowering or centered women properly; it was too busy emphasizing how the world fails women (which is fair, but I felt it could have done more).
I think this is an important topic but this book was too busy and messy? It would have been better as an article.
March 16, 2025
Eye-opening, heartbreaking and admirable.
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