Book Summary and Reviews of The Secret History of the Rape Kit by Pagan Kennedy

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Pamela K. (Churchville, NY)

Demystification of the History of the Rape Kit
Thankfully Pagan Kennedy dedicated several years of her life and her notable skills as a researcher and journalist to write this amazing non-fiction work titled, The Secret History of the Rape Kit. It is without question a compelling account of, not only the history of the rape kit, but perhaps more importantly, reveals the extent to which sexism and misogyny impacted the social justice system of the '70's and 80's. More specifically it documents how police departments and American society failed female victims who experienced sexual assault, abuse and rape. Kennedy describes the rape kit as the "work of audacious genius" and much of the book focuses on finding and honoring this genius, Martha "Marty" Goddard. It seems highly improbable that without the extensive efforts of Pagan Kennedy to uncover the facts about Goddard's work, the truth about Goddard and the rape kit's origin would ever have been acknowledged. This book is richly layered with topics that cross genres, from mystery, biography, social commentary to crime story. Pagan Kennedy's book is profoundly moving and inspirational. By honoring Marty Goddard, the author honors all women and their rights to live in a society that protects and defends them from sexual assault and dehumanization. By demystifying the true creator of the rape kit, Kennedy gives us hope that a better and more just legal system and society may prevail.

Lauri Z. (Washington, DC)

"The Secret History of the Rape Kit-A True Crime Story", by Pagan Kennedy
This is a true story about Marty Goddard, birth name Martha, a victim of sexual assault in the late 1970's. She started as a volunteer at a crisis hotline for teens in Chicago, IL in the early 1970's and it was then that she learned that there were thousands of sexual assault cases not prosecuted due to lack of evidence. Further, there was a national law that marital rape was considered legal (and didn't become illegal until 1973). Marty became an advocate for these victims and was instrumental in developing the rape kit test. However, she did not receive a patent or professional credit for this invention as patent awards were still in the male domain, starting as early as the 1800's. The kit was ultimately patented as the "Vitullo Evidence Collection Kit for Sexual Assualt Examination", named for her junior collaborator in the development of the kit.
Kennedy quoted a historian Autumn Stanley to make this point."…technology is treated as a synonym for "stuff men do". A revised history of technology-taking into account women's contributions would require us to redefine technology itself…the theft of valuable ideas has been built into our intellectual property system from the beginning." She was wide known for her book titled "Mothers and Daughters of Invention published in 1993.
The reader of Kennedy's book does not learn until later in the book that she too had been twice raped in the 1960's. The author said she wanted "to find Marty and help her seek justice." Just as much as she did for herself.
She spent years investigating the history of the rape kit, and more specifically sought to learn about the true story of its creation told to her by Goddard herself. This book shares her persistent digging through thousands of pages of information, interviewing numerous people who ight ave known the history and even speaking with a small number of people who knew Marty during her lifetime. Kennedy learned late into her investigation the Marty Goddard died in 2015 at the age of 74. One of the early original rape kits invented by her is at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

The book held my attention from start to finish. It was compelling and by no means dry. Anyone interested in women's rights should read this book; it is even more timely in the political environment we find ourselves in since 2022. At the very least this book should be required reading for women's' studies curriculums, policy studies, legal studies, sociology, both at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels, as well as at law schools and medical schools in the US.

Windell H. (Rock Hill, SC)

Secret History of the Rape Kit
A very well written book. The research on this was exceptional. In this time period women were being blatantly discriminated against by many branches of the Justice Department. Very strong and persistent women were involved in changing this. Victims of rape had very little physical evidence to support their case. Women were often times viewed as the perpetrator. Enter one woman who took up the cause and developed a forensic kit to test for violent sexual abuse . These kits were dispensed free of charge to many police departments. Many were used but never tested. Finally when a national DNA database was developed did rape kits become essential in prosecution of perpetrators. A great move in the empowerment of women and their quest for equal rights. I really enjoyed this book.

Wanda T. (The Villages, FL)

The History of the Rape Kit by Pagan Kennedy
History has always been my favorite topic so when I saw this book I had to read it. The Secret History of the Rape Kit - A True Crime Story by Pagan Kennedy was quite an eye opener. The author did extensive research trying to find the origin of the rape kit. Her investigation led her to a Chicago police Sargent, Louis Vitullo, but she became suspicious because she knew the Chicago police department was well known for its violent behavior toward suspects and victims, as well, of crimes.

After further digging she uncovered the name Martha "Marty" Goddard and set out on a quest to find her. Vitullo at this point had died so Pagan wanted interview Goddard to find out how the rape kit came to be.

The story reveals how Goddard decided a rape kit was a necessity in determining whether a rape took place and possibly finding the perpetrator. The challenges that Goddard faced were incredible but she never gave up. Pagan had her share of challenges as well. I don't want to reveal too much. The book is not long and is filled with an amazing amount of information from the 70's until the book was written. It's a very interesting account of the little known origin of the rape kit used today to help the victims. I applaud Pagan and her temerity to take on a topic such as this.

Jim T. (North Ridgeville, OH)

The Secret History of.. the Rape Kit??!
"The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story" by Pagan Kennedy
Reviewed by Jim Traxler

If I were simply browsing through a list of new books, looking for something of interest, I have to confess that a book with the title, "The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story," would not draw much attention for me. But since the book was provided to me for review by NetGalley, I waded into it. To my great surprise, it became a page-turner. Imagine a scenario where a social worker named Marty Goddard with no medical or forensic expertise was able to design a kit for medical workers to gather forensic evidence from someone who had been raped.

In her work with the poor people in Chicago, she had discovered that rapists were rarely caught and prosecuted. She couldn't understand why and barged into the Chicago police department to find out why. What she discovered was there was a general attitude among policemen at the time that no one actually rapes women, they just got what they deserved. So law enforcement regarded rape to not be a serious crime. Furthermore, there were no procedures in Emergency Rooms to gather evidence of rape, and the ER staff were often just too busy to take the time to do so.

Long (and very interesting) story short, she designed a kit and took it to a highly regarded Chicago police crime lab analyst named Louis Vitullo, who adopted and approved it, which became known as the "Vitullo Kit." So the female inventor of the kit got no credit for this ultimately life-changing invention. Why? Ms. Goddard allowed that to happen in order for the kit to be accepted by male-dominated police departments, since it had a respected male police officer's name on it.

The book is much more than the history of the rape kit. The author Pagan Kennedy, after learning of Goddard's role in the development of the kit, goes looking for her. After achieving success against all odds in getting hospitals and law enforcement to use the rape kits, Goddard disappears from view, and the story becomes one of tracing her down.

That story is just as interesting as the rape kit story. In the process of trying to find Goddard, Kennedy learns that Goddard herself had been the victim of sexual assault. Furthermore, we learn that Kennedy had also been a victim of sexual assault, both as a child and as an adult. So the search for Goddard became a personal memoir of the author's own struggles as a victim and survivor of rape.

These two interwoven stories are heart-wrenching tales of what women went through and the inability of society to recognize and reform itself. But thankfully, with the acceptance of the rape kit, paired later with the ability to use DNA samples to identify and arrest sexual predators, the current rate of unsolved rape cases is much lower. It also means that there is awareness that rapists are no longer likely to escape punishment. However, the stigma of reporting sexual assaults still remains today, even after the "me-too" movement. And pockets of misogyny still reside in police and sheriff departments everywhere.

This is a well-written saga, a real "true crime story." I recommend it to all for a better understanding of the woman who gave rape victims a chance for justice.

Lorraine D. (Lacey, WA)

The Secret History of the Rape Kit, A True Crime Story - A Remarkable Revelation
To say that The Secret History of the Rape Kit, A True Crime Story is captivating is to say the least. It is a revelation of how things were, and likely still are in some locations, and the importance of truly observing, listening, and taking action. Martha "Marty" Goddard suffered severely in her early years and the impact was deep, painful, with long lasting effects. She was heroic in her attempts to seek solutions and establish fair, reliable systems to identify offenders and help victims. It was a monumental effort to infiltrate the male establishment, rectify the lack of relevant public education, acquire resources, and achieve understanding of the trauma victims feel. The path was not only challenging, it reminded her on a daily basis of her own past experiences. Part 2 of the book traces Marty Goddard's lifelong struggle and her passion to expose the situation and save whomever she could with the effort. It also strikingly reveals the author, Pagan Kennedy's passion and purpose for this story being written. I highly applaud her for writing this valuable book, and for bringing this history to light. It was a real page turner and well worth the read.

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