Defining rape /

Bourque's work is the most recent of a number of books reporting studies that are based to some extent on the reconceptualization of the crime of rape advanced by Susan Brownmiller's Against Our Wills (CH, Feb '76). It differs from G.D. LaFree's Rape and Criminal Justice (1989) and R. Gunn and C. Minch's Sexual Assault (1988), which focus on justice system processes and the perceptions of justice system actors. Bourque reports the results of a study designed to measure public perceptions of rape in Los Angeles. Both the basic design and presentation of findings for this study conform to contemporary professional standards. The book includes a review of literature, is adequately indexed, makes effective use of tables, and is well referenced. The appendixes are an asset and include summary correlation matrices as well as the instrument used to collect data. Bourque's writing style is straightforward and can be understood by the average upper-division undergraduate. Highly recommended for libraries serving graduate and undergraduate programs in sociology, psychology, social work, or counseling. -R. T. Sigler, University of Alabama

Over the past 20 years legal definitions and public perceptions of rape have broadened to include a wider range of male assaults against females, says sociologist and UCLA public health professor Bourque. The growing complexity has caused much confusion and disagreement about what rape actually is, and has created problems regarding appropriate intervention and legal protection. This book offers a comprehensive review, with commentary, of the existing research on rape in order to help put the problem into perspective. Accessible and well organized (and a bit pricey), this informative study contains many important insights into why perceptions of rape so greatly differ and how those divergent views influence the treatment accorded the victim and the penalties meted out to perpetrators, as well as determine public policy. Thoroughly documented with tables, notes, appendixes, and bibliography; to be indexed. --Mary Banas