Asking for It

Asking for It is the first nonacademic, single-author book since the 1990s to examine sexual assault as a social phenomenon. Noted blogger and author Kate Harding’s provocative, sharp, and yes, funny book tackles rape culture and also offers some suggestions for moving toward a culture that fully respects and supports victims while protecting the rights of the accused.Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s arrest, Congressman Todd Akin’s “legitimate” gaffe, the alleged rape crew of Steubenville, Ohio—sexual violence has been so prominent in recent years that the feminist term rape culture has finally entered the mainstream. But what, exactly, is it? And how do we change it?In Asking for It, Kate Harding answers those questions in the same blunt, no-nonsense voice that has made her a powerhouse feminist blogger. Combining in-depth research with practical knowledge, Asking for It makes the case that twenty-first-century America—where it’s estimated that out of every one hundred rapes only five result in felony convictions—supports rapists more effectively than victims. Harding offers ideas and suggestions for addressing how we as a culture can take rape much more seriously without compromising the rights of the accused.