Review by New York Times Review
Freitas offers an in-depth accounting of the problem of sexual assault on college campuses, analyzing both the likely exacerbating factors and various successful or ill-advised response strategies from universities. Based on a decade of research, her book is measured and rigorously reasonable, taking pains not to stray too far in any ideological direction. Freitas, a lecturer on women's issues and a well-regarded Y.A. author, elucidates the role alcohol and partying play in assaults, but insists that young women must not be held responsible for the violence committed against them. She stresses that the cultural factors that enable sexual assault are pervasive beyond the campus walls, but is optimistic that institutions can implement policies to help their students navigate sex responsibly and safely. She is most emphatic and prescriptive in her examination of "hook-up culture," the ritualized patterns of casual sex that are common among young people. Hook-up culture has long been a source of moral panic for adult observers of college life, and those who are weary of such condemnations might find Freitas a bit grating when she says that one cause of sexual assault on campuses may be the absence of emotional intimacy between college sexual partners. It's a claim that ignores both the statistics showing that a great deal of sexual violence occurs within romantic relationships, and the reality that a lot of thoroughly consensual sex happens between people who are not in love. The book gets into the weeds with a detailed study of failed university responses to sexual assaults, and readers outside the academy might lose interest toward the end, which specifies the ways large universities can be slow-moving, traditional and behind the times. But Freitas is worth reading for her interviews with college students, whom she treats with an uncommon degree of dignity and respect. They are, she reminds us, the experts in their own lives. MOIRA DONEGAN is a writer living in New York. Her first book, on sexual harassment and assault, is forthcoming.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [July 11, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
Freitas tackles a topic that is ripe for consideration: the issue of sexual consent on America's college campuses. With copious notes illustrating the breadth of the author's research, this slim volume provides readers with a hard look at everything from hookup culture to Title IX to the difficult collision of alcohol and sex. Less a manifesto than a primer on the many ways in which sexual conduct from rape to harassment to the all-too-frequent toxicity of fraternity culture permeates many collegiate interactions, this overview will satisfy readers looking for a basic snapshot on this important topic. The text is straightforward although noticeably dry, and the author's own pronouncements and generalizations do take center stage on occasion, such as her focus on much-worshipped star quarterbacks, which won't be relevant to the many colleges where football is not the primary sport or even present on campus, yet readers will still find this title useful as they conduct their own research into what has become an increasingly urgent and significant topic.--Colleen Mondor Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Researcher and educator Freitas (Ctr. for Religion and Society at Notre Dame; Sex and the Soul) distills her case for consent culture in a slim volume aimed at campus administration and faculty. The author provides a brief overview of the campus climate around student sexuality, focusing on the recent use of Title IX to address sexual assault. The book also explores student experiences of sex on campus, in particular "hooking up," or casual sex that's often devoid of emotional attachment. Freitas suggests rewriting the narrative to value the well-being of one's sexual partner. She almost exclusively looks at four-year residential schools, and her assertion that "we've become afraid of attaching meaning to sex" will likely be met with some skepticism. Her emphasis on dominant, normative sexual scripts means student dissenters-those forging other ways of being sexual, either by preference or necessity-remain frustratingly absent. VERDICT Its shortcomings aside, this book will likely prove a fruitful tool for group reading, reflection, assessment, and action.-Anna J. Clutterbuck-Cook, Massachusetts Historical Soc. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
