Word: gordons
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...Gordon and Riger criticize the media on seemingly contradictory grounds. The authors claim that "the media exaggerate both the prevalence and the seriousness" of crime, leading women to believe that rape is more common and violent than is actually true. But they later point to the lack of coverage of what are deemed "typical" rapes, giving the impression that more coverage would heighten women's knowledge of rape...
...authors acknowledge that rape is difficult to define. Each respondent was asked whether they defined various activities, ranging from forced sexual intercourse to verbal harassment, as rape. Gordon and Riger keep these broad definitions throughout the book and are careful not to generalize...
Unfortunately, because Gordon and Riger never describe a typical rape, the reader is confused as to the feasability of the solutions the authors propose. Gordon and Riger advocate a nine-point plan that includes a revision of existing rape laws, a reform of media coverage and increased rape education in schools. Although hypothetically desirable, this plan lacks concrete applications. The authors often remain content with generalities rather than pragmatic solutions...
...numerous charts and tables in the book occasionally become overwhelming, but many of them help illustrate the points made. Gordon and Riger effectively balance statistics and case studies, using the evidence culled from the interviews to back up their arguments...
...fear of rape "is not an idiosyncratic, private emotion, but a social fact with considerable impact on our society and on the quality of life in our cities." Any woman who reads this book will be comforted by the knowledge that she is not alone in her anxiety. Unfortunately, Gordon and Riger do not propose effective societal solutions for the problem their book so powerfully describes