Assault on the small screen : representations of sexual violence on prime-time television dramas /

Magestro (Univ. of Wisconsin, Washington County) takes an in-depth look at the way eight top-rated television crime dramas--NCIS, Criminal Minds, CSI, The Closer, Rizzoli and Isles, Dexter, Law and Order: SVU, and The Good Wife--portray the undeniably heinous crime of rape. She points out that public opinion is somewhat driven by what is seen on television and some shows--Law and Order: SVU among them--present more realistic scenarios than do others. The author studied each show to see what percentage of episodes contain rape story lines, noting that some of this is dictated by the nature of the show. She analyzes each show's development, citing differences in characters' attitudes and empathy regarding rape and variations in rape narratives within the shows. Though at times it seems overly critical of entertainment television, the book is well written, and the detailed analysis leaves no doubt that the author thoroughly researched the topic. A solid resource for women's studies, criminology, and sociology as well as media studies. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. --Roger Davis, formally Kent State University