Missoula by Jon Krakauer

Subtitle: "rape and the justice system in a college town"
I was initially interested in this book because one of the main characters accused of rape was a very successful football player at a local high school and the son of a very respected teacher in our school district.  How would this affect my reading of this book?  He is acquitted in the end but this is just a small part of the story.  The failure of the law enforcement departments involved is infuriating.  This is really a story of the way power and entitlement corrupt - not just the individual but the system that supports that sense of entitlement.  This isn't unique to the University of Montana - it could be any college campus - or high profile politician - or powerful CEO.  It is clear that alcohol plays a big role in many of these college cases and that raises a whole other area of confusion about fault.  As the mother of both a daughter and a son in the contemporary sexual environment, this book is downright scary.  Krakauer's clear journalistic style makes for easy reading and he is definitely on the victims side but he raises many other grey areas.  Given how this kind of thing is in the news, the book is a timely read.