Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture – and What We Can Do about It

Staff Top Fives 2015

Our favorite books of the year.

Every seven minutes, someone in America commits a rape. And whether that's a football star, beloved celebrity, elected official, member of the clergy, or just an average Joe (or Joanna), there's probably a community eager to make excuses for that person.

In Asking for It, Kate Harding combines in-depth research with an in-your-face voice to make the case that twenty-first-century America supports rapists more effectively than it supports victims. Drawing on real-world examples of what feminists call "rape culture" — from politicos' revealing gaffes to institutional failures in higher education and the military — Harding offers ideas and suggestions for how we, as a society, can take sexual violence much more seriously without compromising the rights of the accused.

"Asking for It is a must-read for anyone who cares about ending sexual violence. Kate Harding takes on politicians, the media, and commonly held myths in a way that's accessible for antiviolence experts and novices alike. This is a timely and brilliant book that will put a much-needed dent in rape culture." Jessica Valenti, author of The Purity Myth and He's a Stud, She's a Slut

"[A]n unflinching and nuanced map of a culture in crisis; Harding's singular voice makes it a page-turner. It's required reading for anyone who wants to know why there's so much fuss about rape culture these days, as well as for everyone who wants to do something about it." Jaclyn Friedman, editor, Yes Means Yes

"[A] no-nonsense examination of sexual violence in modern America and the widespread cultural complicity that exists around it, whether we want to admit it or not....Asking for It serves as a useful reminder of why we still need books — even nonfiction books — in the age of the Internet. Just the sheer volume of stories and examples Harding collects in one place is disquieting and extremely convincing in a way that getting it in pieces through the day-to-day grind of Internet reading will never accomplish....Asking for It offers a solid grounding and a whole lot of clarity that can help cut through that noise, making it a critical primer for anyone who wants to fight the ongoing problem of sexual assault." Slate

"[A] deft and timely book....Informative and informal, the book is a smart, impassioned and well-researched agenda for a strictly no-nonsense understanding of rape culture." Los Angeles Times

"[Kate Harding] has an amazing capacity for transforming her outrage into clear, considered arguments." Chicago Reader

Kate Harding is the coauthor of Lessons from the Fat-o-Sphere and a contributor to The Book of Jezebel. A columnist for DAME Magazine, she lives in Minnesota.