Credible by Deborah Tuerkheimer takes an unflinching look at sexual assault allegations and when they are taken seriously and when they are not. In light of the Me Too movement, this topic has only become more prescient. Going through the history and present-day hurdles that happen give more light to the topic of when people are believed about sexual assault and why or why not.

"Credible" is a difficult read, not because it deals with a complex topic, but because the sheer volume of sexual assault experiences discussed in the book are wearing and very few have any real closure. Author Deborah Tuerkheimer deals with such difficult stories with empathy and clear explanations of where both courts and cops fail survivors of sexual assault. Tuerkheimer also includes some consideration of alternative approaches to handling such cases (like restorative justice) — a must in an era where the systemic violence of the police themselves has been made so obvious.

You will be furious when you finish reading "Credible": the constant failures to care for sexual assault victims will likely anger even readers already familiar with the system. However, we should be angry. Frankly, the energy of anger is likely the only option at our disposal to deconstruct the current legal system and create a new system to better support victims and minimize the harms of sexual assault.

Credible is an incredibly important book. Author Deborah Tuerkheimer has put together a comprehensive and cohesive guide to how the system is failing women who are subjected to sexual violence.

A warning - this book will make the reader incredibly angry; it is filled with stories of how survivors of rape and sexual assault are made to feel as if they are responsible for their attack. Tuerkheimer covers rape myths, such as “the stranger rape paradigm”, a misguided assumption that most rapes are commited by strangers. She also goes into great detail on how victims’ sexual history can be used as a weapon against them in any kind of rape trial.

But there is some hope; there is a particularly moving story of the fantastic work attorney sujatha baliga is doing with restorative justice, a form of reconciliation through mediation and rehabilitation. There are also stories within the book of how victims find a way to move on from their attack.

I found this book to be incredibly insightful and educational. It is staggering how little support there is for rape victims. A conviction, or any form of validation for the survivor, only occurs within the minority of cases. Thousands of rape kits are left untested, and woman are often dismissed by the institutions they are supposed to trust.

For me, the key point Tuerkheimer drove home is that people have to listen to victims. There are so many assumptions when it comes to an emotionally charged crime such as rape, that people sometimes just don’t know how to deal with it. To paraphrase Tuerkheimer’s work, people have certain ideas about how the world is, and anything that shakes that belief can be difficult to deal with.

I could go on for days about Credible. Everyone needs to read this book.

This review is based on an ARC received from the publisher and NetGalley. The book is primarily comprised of the author giving examples of sexual assaults that have occurred and describing the impact this had on the victim, including not only the assault itself, but how other people (friends, family, police, courts, co-workers, etc) reacted and how all of these responses (when negative) can further victimize someone. These examples are further used by the author to illustrate how power and other dynamics affect whether we confer credibility to the accuser or the abuser when sexual assault allegations occur, and by connection, to whom we attach value. Ms. Tuerkheimer breaks down how our biases and outdated norms and laws prejudice people and the law against sexual assault victims, along why so many people react to sexual assaults with disbelief.

The book is very readable and accessible to people who are not familiar with the specifics of the criminal justice system. The author does reference academic research, but these references flow easily with the text and are not weighed down by jargon. It is a book that will (and should) make you angry, since a number of situations are explained in detail how sexual assault victims have been painfully failed by the rest of us. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the barriers that we as a society and culture have put in place that prevent us from responding effectively to sexual assault in our communities.

CREDIBLE by Deborah Tuerkheimer is a powerful and necessary read that I found hugely informative. The author takes a deep dive into which factors go in to the consideration of a claim as "credible," addressing which factors are legitimate and which (the majority) are biases which harm survivors and our justice system.

I was especially moved by the following quote and have thought back to this premise often since my read:
"For an allegation to be deemed credible, we must also believe that that conduct it describes is blameworthy, and that it's worthy of our concern. Consider that a person who comes forward with an allegation of abuse makes a trio of claims: This happened. It was wrong. It matters" (Tuerkheimer, 2021).

I found this title interesting, engaging, and well-researched and can recommend it enthusiastically.

An excellent book about women and assault. Credible examines how women are believed or not believed. I highly recommend this informative text.

This book was received as an ARC from Harper Wave and Harper Business - Harper Wave in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow this book was really deep and eye-opening and a lot of important information was presented to really think about. We have had a lot of popularity with research on the #metoo movement and I appreciate how Deborah Tuerkheimer holds nothing back and gives it to you straight. I've heard from our patrons the shock and horror of the Surviving R. Kelly and the intensity really was heartbreaking. What is even more horrifying is that our justice system relies on one thing and that is credibility. The more power you have, the more credible you are and that was the case for Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly. Now with the help of the #metoo movement, there is more awareness out there to give everyone a fighting chance and fight for sexual harassment. This book will definitely help change the system and change the world.

We will consider adding this title to our Self Help collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.