I've also seen the documentary on this case. It made me sick to my stomach. This poor girl. She had to go through this completely alone besides the support from her family. The boys, her so called friends, and the community shamed and ostracized her. I'm glad that at least a few people were held responsible for what happened, but it's clear that football comes before anything else in this town.

This is a powerful book and a cautionary tale about group think and societal pressure to preserve community institutions no matter the cost. In Roll Red Roll, when football players from Steubenville High are accused of and convicted or rape, community members close ranks to protect their sacred football team and unfortunately as we see time and time again, blame the victim (who interestingly enough was not from their community). This book is a powerful indictment of rape culture, toxic masculinity and the men and (alarmingly) the women who enable and support this culture. What is particularly impactful about this book are the interviews she conducts with a variety of community members, coaches, families, whistleblowers, etc. There is definitely a sentiment of "boys will be boys" from the adults in the community that is highly disturbing. This book is a follow-up to a documentary she made and I want to watch that as well. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I somehow missed Nancy Schwartzman’s film Roll Red Roll back in 2018, which told the story of a notorious gang rape of a 16-year old girl after an early season football game in Steubenville, Ohio. The horrific events would perhaps (most likely, IMHO) never have come to light were it not for smart phones and social media…but I digress.

The girl was from another school – so by definition an outsider. The people involved were at three different parties that night, with the net result being multiple sexual assaults, documented by both still photos and video, along with voice messages. The incredibly detailed investigation included almost FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND text messages and, although many of the incriminating items were deleted, they had been captured by a dedicated researcher and blogger, whose posts went viral, resulting in national coverage.

Several reviewers complained about the exact thing that made this book (and film) great: it goes beyond the story of the star athletes and their attack on Jane Doe. It definitely does give ALL the detail you might want (and more) about the actual events of that night, but it also explores the WTF factor: what is it that made this town such a safe haven for sexual assault? Why were the athletes given a free pass to do whatever they wanted? Why was there such collective disdain for women, and so much victim blaming? What role did the town’s slide from a nice middle class place to a dying rust belt town with more than its share of problems play in this event, and others like it? Schwartzman takes readers beyond the city limits of Steubenville into the whole #metoo movement and the forces that allow both the crimes and the acceptance of the “boys will be boys” mentality to continue.

My favorite line about the book is that “Schwartzman proposes ways to unlearn the norms of a society that too often sacrifices its daughters for the sake of protecting its sons.” Well done, a necessary if painful look at several contemporary issues. Four BIG stars. (I sought out the film after I read the book. Both are excellent). Thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for this honest review.

Roll Red Roll: Rape, Power, and Football in the American Heartland (Hachette Books 2022) by Nancy Schwartzman was a title that was immediately intriguing to me because I had seen the feature documentary Roll Red Roll (2018), directed and produced by Schwartzman. The documentary, like the book, depicts a rape committed, filmed, photographed, and posted on the internet by members of the Steubenville High School’s “Big Red” football team in Steubenville, Ohio. The victim, Jane Doe, was only sixteen at the time of her rape, possibly drugged, and intoxicated to the point of unconsciousness. Despite Jane Doe’s inability to consent, three members of the Big Red football team literally carried her from a party to a waiting car where they took her to a separate location, raped her, and documented the whole experience on their cell phones. Videos and photos of the rape eventually ended up on the internet, evidence investigators would later use against the accused.
Although I was familiar with this case and its result after watching Schwartzman’s excellent documentary, the book offered a few different perspectives the documentary did not. The book gives a good sense of Schwartzman’s filming process. In a few notable passages, Schwartzman vividly describes her landing in Steubenville for the first time as though she had landed on an unknown and hostile planet. Schwartzman depicts a town that has been totally divided by the case and its complex aftermath; many sided with the perpetrators and worried that their lives would be destroyed were they convicted of the offences they were charged with. A smaller faction of Steubenville citizens was concerned not only with the welfare of Jane Doe but of the rampant rape culture in Steubenville that allowed this brutal crime to occur. Schwartzman does an excellent job of detailing how and why both sides came to their conclusions and offers a detailed history of the town and its long-grown rape culture.
Schwartzman’s thesis is clear, and one I wholeheartedly subscribe to: football programs, at all levels, aid and abet rape and sexual assault, just as the town of Steubenville had long since created the perfect conditions for sexual assaults and rapes to go unbelieved and swept under the rug. In some of the most cutting passages in the book, Schwartzman details just how the Big Red football program attempted to protect its players—and its program—at all costs. Schwartzman is not afraid to be critical of the program and other football programs that have taken similar measures to protect rapists at the great expense of victim/survivors; her book is worth reading for this criticism alone.
Something else I really respected about this book was the way centred the perpetrators—and not the victim—as the problem. This might seem obvious, but so often in these stories it is what the victim did before, during, and after the assault that is focused on. Schwartzman’s text recognizes that the perpetrators, as well as those that stood by and watched or documented the rape, were exhibiting that they had serious issues and were raised in an environment with serious issues. The way Schwartzman does a deep dive into how these issues may have been caused within these young men goes above and beyond authorial due diligence. Schwartzman also follows up with the perpetrators years after the rape, giving readers insight into what type of change or rehabilitation is possible for a person who commits this kind of violent action. As a reader, this really made me examine the limits of rehabilitation.
Roll Red Roll tells a story that is all too common. The uncommon way that it tells the story; however, is what allows the book to ask some extremely important questions and offer some even more important answers.

I remember reading a bit about this Ohio high school football team rape case when it happened, but I didn't follow it much. As I've become an adult and more invested in politics, women's rights, etc, I found myself much more interested in the case.
The author did a nice job of rounding up details and piecing everything together. It's basically a written version of her documentary, but it's also followed up with connections to where toxic rape culture is currently in the United States.
The book was written in a conversational, engaging way that I appreciated. I wouldn't say this is a book you're meant to enjoy, but it certainly made an impact on me.

A book about a horrible rape of a young girls high school student by two members of the football team.High school boys committing this disgusting act other friends of theirs videoing them and the innocent victim being abused .These videos and text messages shared by all these kids proved to be the evidence that got therapists arrested and tore this football worshipping town apart.Heartwrenching shocking so well written.#netgalley #rollredroll

Thanks to NetGallery and publisher for the chance to read a advanced reader copy unfortunately I wasn't able to finish it. I made it to 30% before I finally gave up. The book started out great and then it just went off the rails and instead of being a book about the case, became a book about everything leading to a rape culture.

"Football, always male-dominated, became something for the town to hold onto amid dwindling sense of identity" - I've yet to find a football team that isn't always male-dominated, just like I've yet to find a softball team that isn't female dominated.

"shutting down the comments felt like suppression" - While I agree to a point, the fact is that's pretty common on hot topics on websites. Websites like theatheltic are known to do it all the time.

"comments were still locked on WTOV-9's website and their Facebook page."- I'm pretty sure it's impossible to turn comments off on facebook unless it's group posts. But I could be wrong. This was 10 years ago, that comment just seemed odd.

"As an anti-choice activist in 1990, Mark Nelson had spent time in prison for violating clinic boundaries in attempts to block women from seeking medial care" - Uh oh the author said something nice about a male figure the sentence before, we have to solve that.

"Steubenville’s longtime mayor was Domenick Mucci Jr., a Democrat who would ultimately serve six four-year terms in a row (including one three-day prison sentence for drunk driving in 2011)—proof of Steubenville’s reluctance to change." - Not sure how that add's anythign at all to the story but congrats on adding some more dirt to it.

"What if my mom is the DA and won’t prosecute?” (That was a familiar scenario for Steubenville.) " - So the same kid of the DA kept getting in trouble and getting way with it? That sounds like a book of it's own.

"That other team—they ain’t just gonna lay down and give it to you. You gotta go out there and take it!” It brilliantly underlined the disconnect between what our culture teaches boys about how to behave on the football field as men versus how to behave in their lives." - That's common terminology for all sports, not just football and not just male sports.

"you can rape a woman or treat anyone badly and you’ll just get a slap on the wrist." - That's a MASSIVE gap between those two things.

But what did it for me was the following
"but he also flippantly and liberally used the expressions “screw” and “fuck” to talk about this violating sexual act with a sixteen-year-old girl. The use of aggressive sexualized language toward women and girls seemed so ingrained that it was nearly unconscious and spotlighted a normalization of sexism and rape culture." - I just have no words for that sentence at all.

I prefer my nonfiction books to be facts about the case and not editorials. I may check out the documentary, as it's like 2 hours long.

I was disappointed in this book. When the author focused on the Ohio case, the people involved and the crime that was committed, the book was at its best. Sadly, I felt the direction of the book kept trying to incorporate more modern examples such as the Me Too Movement. When that happened, it lessened the story of the actual crime. In my opinion, this book started out with great potential, but quickly went down the road of trying to be hip and timely, which actually lessened the impact of what it could have been.

I would not teach this in my classroom, but I would recommend it for those who are interested in the case or in the Me Too Movement.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the writing and the storytelling. I can't wait to check out more by this author later.
(netgalley e-arc)

This book needs to be in every high school. This book tells the true story of a 15 year old girl who was raped by two sophomores after a football game (both were members of the team). The author takes us through the events of the night and the charges and case that followed. The one thing that sticks with me, there were 50, 5-0 witnesses that night and not one of them stood up to protect that girl. Not only that, but the small town in Ohio became divided, with many of them blaming her.

This story makes me sad and we must do better to get rid of the rape culture that has taken over our boys and young men.

I had watched a documentary series on this issue, so I found this book provided more context and details. I enjoyed this and thought it was an engrossing read.

This book takes a deep dive into the rape culture that permeates throughout America. It looks specifically into the 2012 Rape case of the Steubenville, Ohio Football players against an unconscious underage Jane Doe.
The author is a documentarian, and this was a book molded from that film.

the crime/book reads like a fast moving tornado out of control. Several times I wanted to yell at the people in the book. I wanted to slow that severe weather down for Jane Doe.

I was outraged at the callous attitude of the boys and even the adults. I was angry that the coach never got into trouble and was so disgusting.

The best part (how can any part be the best when this is a tragic rape case?) was Attorney General, at the time Mike Dewine did go after the adults who helped to cover up this crime.

I loved that the author tied everything together to the way the football is structured (DOMINATE that ball, never take NO for an answer) to what we teach our daughters about sex, our bodies, and our place in society.

This book should be required reading for all HIGH school freshmen.

The end of the book is filled with things that all of us can do to prevent rape from occurring.

Bravo to the author for taking a deep dive into this case and really looking at it from all angles.

This book had SO MUCH information. Very good.

Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Loved loved loved.
Presented details in a factual engaging manner, definitely presented concepts for conversation, this would make an excellent AP book for scholars, critical thinking, media literacy, social justice… absolute fantastic read!