- Paperback: 472 pages
- Publisher: Fawcett; 1st Ballantine Books Ed edition (1 Feb 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0449908208
- ISBN-13: 978-0449908204
- Product Dimensions: 14.1 x 2.5 x 20.9 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 394,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
"The most comrpehensive study of rape ever offered to the public...It forces readers to take a fresh look at their own attitudes toward this devastating crime."
NEWSWEEK
As powerful and timely now as when it was first published, AGAINST OUR WILL stands as a unique document of the history of politics, the sociology of rape and the inherent and ingrained inequality of men and women under the law. In lucid, persuasive prose, Brownmiller has created a definitive, devastating work of lasting social importance.
Chosen by THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW as
One of the Outstanding Books of the Year
NEWSWEEK
As powerful and timely now as when it was first published, AGAINST OUR WILL stands as a unique document of the history of politics, the sociology of rape and the inherent and ingrained inequality of men and women under the law. In lucid, persuasive prose, Brownmiller has created a definitive, devastating work of lasting social importance.
Chosen by THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW as
One of the Outstanding Books of the Year
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Kraft-Ebing, who pioneered in the study of sexual disorders, had little to say about rape. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Kraft-Ebing, who pioneered in the study of sexual disorders, had little to say about rape. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
According to Susan Brownmiller, "only when all accounts of rape are collected and correlated does the true underside of women's history emerge". This book is an immense contribution to this real history. The author begins by looking at rape in legal history as first and foremost a violation of male rights of possession. She then goes on to document the history of rape in World Wars I and II and in Bangladesh and Vietnam. She also studies woman victims of the Indian Wars and of pogroms against Jews and Blacks. There are many wars she doesn't delve into but there is more than adequate documentation to make her points. She then goes on to analyse rape in the context of the US race conflicts, and skilfully analyses the attitudes towards, and portrayals of rape by the pre-feminist American left. (The book is very US-centred - a strength and a weakness.) In the latter part of the book, we have Brownmiller's illuminating and detailed analyses of a variety of (male-dominated) discourses of rape: in film, in literature, in fable and fairy tale, in religious discourse and in newspapers and magazines. The author astutely analyses how these discourses position both rapist and victim, which is particularly impressive if we consider that this book predates the advent of "critical linguistics" by 4 years. Brownmiller also attacks the Freudian concept of masochistic female sexuality, with Helene Deutsch a principal target. Then follow coherent arguments against prostitution and pornography.
This book was written 35 years ago and much has happened and been written since. But Brownmiller's goal - the eradication of rape - hasn't happened, and that's why so much of this book is still relevant. Such eradication, as Brownmiller pointed out, requires the "understanding and good will" of both men and women, and this book is a very good starting point to get such understanding and good will.
This book was written 35 years ago and much has happened and been written since. But Brownmiller's goal - the eradication of rape - hasn't happened, and that's why so much of this book is still relevant. Such eradication, as Brownmiller pointed out, requires the "understanding and good will" of both men and women, and this book is a very good starting point to get such understanding and good will.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have just finished reading this book, after watching a documentary a few weeks ago on the Beeb and decided that I wanted explore some of the 70s feminist writers that were interviewed. As a man, I have to say that this is a rather uncomfortable read but that should not put you off. Brownmiller expertly weaves together many different strands - history, psychology, art, literature etc. - to present an in-depth yet engaging work on the subject.
She writes in such a way as to leave the reader in no doubt as to the reasons why society seems to value women as object, servants, or property and takes us back to very early examples of written English law, where the rape of a woman was not considered to be a crime against her at all but a crime against her father's or her husband's property. And while the law has changed over the centuries, it is still based largely on this concept of woman as property.
The previous reviewer has covered most of the points I would make about this book but I would urge everybody, men and women, to read it.
Me? I have just started Sexual Politics by Kate Millett and I'll let you know how I get on.
She writes in such a way as to leave the reader in no doubt as to the reasons why society seems to value women as object, servants, or property and takes us back to very early examples of written English law, where the rape of a woman was not considered to be a crime against her at all but a crime against her father's or her husband's property. And while the law has changed over the centuries, it is still based largely on this concept of woman as property.
The previous reviewer has covered most of the points I would make about this book but I would urge everybody, men and women, to read it.
Me? I have just started Sexual Politics by Kate Millett and I'll let you know how I get on.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
35 reviews
52 of 61 people found the following review helpful
AN HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF RAPE
22 April 2003
Format:Paperback
Published in the midst of the second wave women's movement AGAINST OUR WILL remains an integral book in the feminist literary canon to the present day. Employing an historical analysis Brownmiller reveals in exquisite detail how some men have been subjugating some women since Biblical times. Her thesis of the use of rape during wartimes as an arsenal for the winning army is especially strong and admirable. This section alone deserves to be read by anyone interested in gender and women's studies as it clearly demonstrates how rape has been used to further antagonize and horrify the defeated population. The utilization of rape during the World Wars, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Serbia is certainly a difficult bit of knowledge to swallow. This book clearly demonstrates how rape has been used to keep some women on edge and weary of being both in public spaces and in their own homes.
Despite Brownmiller's important thesis I have several problems with AGAINST OUR WILL. Brownmiller has a tendency to over-emphasis her arguments with a deluge of statistics and case studies. It's almost as if she inserted every historical example she could find to further her arguments. Less is better in this instance. If she pared down her examples I believe her thesis wouldn't have been diluted in any such way. Another objection I have to AGAINST OUR WILL is her assertion of the following quote from her introduction, "Man's discovery that his genitalia could serve as a weapon to generate fear must rank as one of the most important discoveries of prehistoric times...[Rape] is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear". My problem with this passage is two-fold. First, I think it is mundane and questionable to argue that man's discovery of rape ranks high next to the discovery of fire, etc. I also have clear problems with Brownmiller's assertion that *all* men contemplate rape to keep *all* women in a constant state of fear. It is clear that there are variations of fear and victimization in the general population. Brownmiller argued this every point later in her book when she discussed issues of class and race. To generalize this phenomenon to every man and woman is dangerous in itself. I consider myself to be a feminist but I strongly dispute some of Brownmiller's arguments.
Overall, AGAINST OUR WILL is an important book to read but please be careful not to consume all of the author's arguments at face value.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
One of the foremost works in the field
18 July 1999
Format:Paperback
Brownmiller's book gives a detailed account of the historical and cultural origins of rape. She gives insight to the causes of this heinous phenomenon. Brownmiller writes with an honesty that is absolutely necessary when dealing with rape, however this same honesty may cause some defensive males to take offense. Brownmiller's book requires us to take a critical look at rape and urges us to take action.
27 of 34 people found the following review helpful
The enormity of such crimes still is overwhelming
25 May 2004
Format:Paperback
For an excellent read on the topic of rape and war, please read "Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape" by Susan Brownmiller. The enormity of such crimes is well documented by Brownmiller.
When I read the book in the late 1970s, my understanding of the sexual abuse consequences of war left me overwhelmed by the agony of millions of women through the ages. Upon re-reading it years later, the impact of the book still left me devastated.
When I read the book in the late 1970s, my understanding of the sexual abuse consequences of war left me overwhelmed by the agony of millions of women through the ages. Upon re-reading it years later, the impact of the book still left me devastated.
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