Okay, first let me say that the topic and history is 5-star material. I appreciated what the author was trying to do, but the presentation for this one was not for me. Also, I found the mention of it being a true crime story to be misleading as I would categorize it as a memoir/speculative history.

I found this to be muddled, repetitive, and contradictory. The author frequently attributed feelings to Goddard although she never spoke with her directly, which felt weird and forced. There were also times where it felt like the author was trying to force a narrative/connections - “Scott told me his aunt never mentioned the Nutshell Studies. But…how could she not have known…” She also explained how Goddard was a private person/unfindable, but then the author proceeded to mention Goddard’s assault multiple times throughout the book, which felt disrespectful and contradictory.

As this topic is already sensitive, I felt this book was a bit forced and exploitative.

First and foremost, this book is meant to be a a dive into the Marty Goddard's early life as she championed the invention and rollout of a widely used r*p* kit across America. Throughout her research, Pagan Kennedy finds that Marty Goddard herself has disappeared from the limelight, a curious discovery as Marty seems to have been a very involved advocate for women in the public scene.

This topic is interesting and the history important; however, I feel misled as a reader. On one side, it was an easy read and at times enjoyable. However, this book does not feel like it would have done Marty justice. This was a memoir of Pagan's traumatic experience and how she went on her own journey to find "answers". The little bits of information you do get as a reader regarding the problematic history of forensics, the campaigns launched by advocates, the adoption of the kits across hospitals in the U.S. and the result of said adoptions (including COVID era) feel so completely washed over.

I did not feel that this was a "deep dive" into the history of the r*p* kit. Sometimes a good article can just stay a good article. I don't feel that anything introduced outside of it was a prevalent finding, I just learned more about Pagan.

Let me start this review by saying THIS BOOK IS TRIGGERING. There are VERY graphic sexual assault accounts about both the author and the woman she’s writing about. If that easily triggers you, please do not read this book.

This is a book about the woman who made the first properly used Rape Kit in America and advocated for woman’s rights. There were a lot of things about the book that pissed me off but it was more the disheartening realization that it took until the 1970s for this to be taken semi-seriously. As someone who grew up watching SVU and hearing about Olivia Benson (she’s not mentioned in the book; this was just my own observation and clarity) being survivors guiding light, it hit me why her character has been so very important to the cause. Less than 25 years had passed since anyone really started advocating to SA victims and this was the first onscreen fmc to fight for us in this way and continue to fight for us.

Anyway, I loved the books main plot and history BUT I don’t know if this needed to be a book ? There was a lot of things that could’ve been taken out and the point still would have gotten across. But for my own bias reasons, I give it a 5/5.

This book and its topic were incredibly interesting and important. I can confidently say that I learned a lot, but I also came out of this with questions about the ethics of writing a book like this. Marty Goddard was, needless to say, a massively important figure in victim advocacy and justice. While it makes sense to include her personal connection to her work, it felt like perhaps there were too many details that Marty was never given the option to approve or deny. In this way, I wondered whether the inclusion of her story would have been welcomed, or if it would have been right to leave out the specifics in exchange for a more vague description.

While there was a lot of great information in this book, it also felt like there was a lot of speculation. In spots where there was ambiguity or a lack of information available, the author seemed to insert their own belief of what may have happened rather than just allowing there to be uncertainty. At the very least, they seemed to be honest when this was the case, but i still felt like it made me question the validity of other details about Marty Goddard’s life. The author seemed to feel very spiritually connected to Marty and it felt like this sort of muddied the waters at times.

I thought the part of this read that shined the most was the final section where the author spoke with Marty’s sister. I felt like I got the most out of that portion as it was nice to hear from someone who knew Marty from a very young age and was able to give insight into her life that hadn’t been shared before. I could feel the love that her sister had for her in spite of their strained relationship. I wasn’t super happy with the epilogue, as it almost felt incomplete. It felt as though there was more to that story, but it was cut off somewhat abruptly.

Nonetheless, I’m appreciative of the new information I received about this massively important figure and the contributions she made to support a group that is historically under-supported and over-criticized. I also appreciated the author’s honesty and vulnerability in sharing their own story. Thank you to Pagan Kennedy and NetGalley for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story brings Martha Goddard, the true inventor of the rape kit, to the forefront and helps cement her place in history.
In 1972, Martha "Marty" Goddard volunteered at a crisis hotline, counseling girls who had been molested. How were people getting away with these heinous acts? One of the answers was a lack of both physical evidence and training in acquiring and keeping it. By the end of the decade, she had launched a campaign pushing hospitals and police departments to collect evidence of sexual assault while treating survivors with dignity. She designed the rape kit with the technical help of a man—a man she had to allow to take credit for her work.
Journalist Pagan Kennedy decided it was time Goddard’s name should be the one everyone knew. When she went looking for Goddard, she discovered that even Goddard's closest friends didn’t know where she was. While trying to track her down, Kennedy delves further into the problematic history of forensics in America. During this search for answers, Kennedy must face her own experiences with sexual assault as well as her own desire for justice.
This book takes turns that many readers would have never seen coming. The Playboy Foundation is a vital part of getting the rape kit off the ground? The book goes into detail how and why this happened. It also explains why the kit is named after a man when a woman does all the work. Minorities and trauma as needs for self-testing are discussed in detail. It also leaves women scratching our heads about how these tests led to jury convictions, and now we’re struggling for convictions again.
Kennedy writes nonfiction in a way that is accessible to the common reader. It’s not written in longer clinic paragraphs. Jargon is limited and clearly explained. Kennedy also goes past just the rape kit; she makes you care about the inventor. The mystery of Goddard’s whereabouts pulls you in and your emotions weave with hers. That does mean there is bias and a lack of emotional objectivity. But that does not ruin the trueness of the story as it’s biased in its own way: misogyny is rife with rape so of course it is with the rape kit.
Part history, part biography The History of the Rape Kit details the history and present of the rape kit while bringing forward the woman who made it all possible.

The Secret History of the Rape Kit by Pagan Kennedy is a shocking read. The rampant sexism, misogyny, and racism in policing, our legal system, healthcare and the forensic labs is shocking. The fact that there were nearly half a million untested rape kits in this country because police departments would elect not to run the tests because they were expensive is unbelievable. It was optional to upload the data to CODIS so they could track serial assaulters. While the FBI originally identified serial sexual assaulters as uncommon just like serial killers, that has proven to be untrue. The rape kits were designed by white people, and some of the tools do not work as well on darker skin tones - especially the one designed to show bruising on the skin. The kit has remained largely the same for the past 50 years. A new kit has just been redesigned and called Margo to honor Martha Goddard, the woman who invented the rape kit. The writing is a bit disjointed and could be better organized. I don't think we needed the author's quest story - I'm sorry - she could have asked the CNN reporter for Martha's contact information but she decided not to because she wanted to find her on her own. She wasted at least six months, I'm not sure what the point was in providing that information. This is an important story and more people need to know about it. I want to thank Net Galley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found myself both hopeful and hopeless while reading this deep dive into the history of the rape kit, how sex crimes are prosecuted, and the laws surrounding it. Hopeful because look how far we've come in the last 40 years, and hopeless because what do you mean it's only been 40 years? What kind of future is there for these kinds of crimes and what kind of justice is there for the survivors in the current political climate?

While the history of the rape kit and the work done by Martha "Marty" Goddard was documented (as well as could be, given the limitations), the story felt discombobulated as insertions from Kennedy's own life and experiences took up much of the story as well. There were times where I was unable to decipher what was factual retelling pertinent to the history, what was Kennedy's own recollection, and what was the "imagined" conversations with author and subject. This book is being marketed as a true crime story, a history, and yet it reads much more as a memoir than informational. This book started as a longform article and I believe the story is best served in that original form and not as an expanded book with the authors obvious confirmation bias. If this was remarketed as a memoir, it would be marginally less disappointing; however, it would still lack an overall structure and fluidity.

I am giving this book two stars; even with my qualms, the history of the rape kit and the story of Marty Goddard is a story that needs to be told.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Secret History of the Rape Kit by Pagan Kennedy is a powerful and meticulously researched exploration of the origins and impact of a groundbreaking forensic tool. As an assault survivor myself, it was so meaningful to learn more about Dr. Martha Goddard, who developed the rape kit, which has helped so many survivors seek the justice they deserve. This is an essential read for anyone interested in true crime and women's rights, particularly in our current political climate.

This book is extremely readable and well-paced and I learned SO MUCH! There was still so much and wanted to know, but Pagan Kennedy goes to great lengths to show how she attempted to track these gaps down. Ultimately, the reporting gaps serve the larger story of how women are so often erased from history. Highly recommend!

The Secret History of the Rape Kit starts off strong detailing Martha "Marty" Goddard's activism and her work creating the rape kit. However, in part two, it gets lost narratively after the author discovers Goddard died several years ago. The book then becomes very disjointed and it seems like Kennedy is throwing whatever related material might fit. There was potential here but it should have stayed an article.

Part true-crime, part biography, author Pagan Kennedy shares so much information that hasn't seen the light of day when it comes to the history of how the rape kit as we know it today came into fruition. First of all, I had no idea it was created by a woman, yet it doesn't surprise me that creator Marty Goddard had to put a man's name on it (and weight behind it) in order to get the project off the ground. I learned so much from Kennedy's work in this book, and found myself sharing a lot of the information out loud to my husband. For example, I had absolutely no idea Hugh Hefner was: #1, invested in women's liberation and, #2, contributed thousands of dollars to help Goddard fund the first version of the kit for distribution. Had to put some of my own personal biases aside for that one... I struggled a little bit with the writing style of the author because it felt like stream of consciousness and more personal than investigative or reportive at times, but I appreciate all of the research put into this work and all that the author shared to help audiences and readers better understand this important part of our history and of women's health.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

Wow.

While reading about the "history" of the rape kit sounds dull, this book was anything but that. The author combines her experience with sexual assault with the experiences of women with the police and justice system in the past and present along with the life of Marty Goddard.

Goddard devised the rape kit and, because of the subjugation of women in that time period, the 1970's, a man was given the patent for it. I had never heard her name until reading this book. Goddard's story is a difficult read. The author details her assault. I am glad she wrote explicitly because more stories need to be told to illustrate the brutality and widespread occurrence of sexual assault. Some will get triggered reading it and should prepare themselves accordingly.

The book pulled me in instantly beginning with the author's experience watching Dr. Blasey-Ford testifying in the Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Dr Blasey-Ford bravely told her story of sexual assault but didn't have "proof". I remember this experience watching as well, my heart breaking watching yet another victim get questioned and dehumanized.

Kennedy discusses the backlog of rape kits and the lack of urgency toward identifying the perpetrators via the kits. Imagine yourself being assaulted and going through hours of gathering evidence and then the kit sits on a shelf for years. Horrible.

Loved reading this book and am so grateful to the publisher for sending me a copy. A must read for all. Wow.

This book is one eye opening trigger warning, but I have no regrets reading it and was very educated. This book was difficult to read at times, but I also couldn't put it down. I know of rape kits due to previous work in social work, but I knew nothing about where they came from or how long they had been around. This book also shows how incredibly hard it can be to be an advocate at any moment in our history. In this book it specifically highlights the treatment of females (victims or not) in history especially during the 70s and 80s when Marty was fighting hard for medical facilities and police stations to use rape kits and run them in labs in order to help prosecute the criminals during this time committing these criminal acts. Because most of the time these criminals were getting away with these crimes for many unfortunate reasons.
This book covers the exactly what the title says, The Secret History of the Rape Kit. This book talks about the origin of the rape kit, why the idea of it came about, the fight for victims and the original creator of it all, Martha "Marty" Goddard. Marty was a woman who fought for the rights, equality and safety of women in many situations, but especially victims of sexual abuse/assault. Her fight lasted many years of her life, which was a wild rollercoaster. This hard fight made her well known at the time among legal, educational, medical and political professionals, just to name a few. But why did Marty begin her journey and after working so hard for over a decade, why did she just disappear? Did she ever see how far her creations the rape kit made it into society? This book also discusses the progression of the rape kit being introduced in the medical and criminal justice community. Chicago was the first city the rape kit was introduced and it was a very hard sell at first for Marty. Police officers and others alike seemed to have a negative connection between females and sexual abuse, claiming it mostly just wasn't believable. Testing DNA (like we do today) wasn't an option when this all began in the 1970s and it was difficult for a female to prove her assault. Luckily Marty ran into some luck that helped jumpstart the creation of the rape kit. Who helped her along the way and why was it so beneficial for Marty?
We meet a lot of colleagues, family and friends in this book that will share the life and stories they have with Marty. These stories will help the author piece the puzzle together of Marty's mysterious disappearance and how far into her life she was able to witness the progression of her invention.

Like I said there are may trigger warnings in this book: rape, sexual abuse/assault, thoughts of suicide, child abuse, racism

But a very fascinating book is interesting. How this author talked about this woman. Named m ATH AMA R Ty. She decided To make A R APE KI. T. Help women in chicago because it was so bad with the POL. I. C. E!. She had a very interesting story.She was also raped. The woman who wrote this book also went. Into the history of woman Who were married?Could not file a patent. The husband took all the credit for this. It was the same for black people too. I learned a lot from this book and how things do change for the time. Also they do genetic testing When things are left on the surface M a t h a helped A lot of people out. She had a lot of problems on her own as well. As you read this book, it all seems to tie together. There's a lot of history in this book about how women were treated. The author told different stories about other women who were also abused. Great book

A must read. Due to the subject matter, it's not always an easy book to read, but the author's commitment to bringing to light the important, mostly forgotten contribution of Martha "Marty" Goddard to the modern rape kit. This is often infuriating, often upsetting, but necessary. The final chapters with context of how the pandemic and current events have impacted evidence collection and reporting nicely tie the story together.

The Secret History of The Rape Kit was a moving story about the unsung heroine, and inventor, of America’s first rape kit.

There is education, history, and story in this book. You feel connected to Marty and the countless other people who helped turn the rape kit into reality, and those who sought to improve the system and advocate for survivors.

This is a must read for folks interested in and focused on social justice.

Of note: there are some descriptions (with varying levels of detail) of abuse and sexual assault. This is to be expected given the subject matter at hand, but does need to be called out for readers who may be sensitive to that or could potentially be triggered by those accounts.

Pagan Kennedy's book The Secret History of the Rape Kit. Women's rights, women being silenced, men taking credit when they shouldn't (big shock I know), perseverance, the pursuit for justice, reflection...it's all here.

   Marty Goddard, I want to call her the hero of this story, who deserves so much credit for what she achieved, but that feels like it lessens what she endured in a way? A sign of the times that she knew she had to let a man take credit for her work for it to gain traction. That still feels current doesn’t it? Her work and struggle are told well within the pages, ultimately a heartbreaking story given the trajectory her life takes and watching someone spiral into obscurity and isolation. 

   I also appreciated Kennedy sharing her own personal story within this book, it took it out of the realm of just being a biography/journalism and made it so personal, human, intimate and touching on a whole other level. 

   In the end, I am thankful for the breakthrough in forensic innovation that has been achieved, thanks to Marty, yet I am still hoping for more improvements in the very near future.
I want everyone to get a copy and read if when it's released this month.

This story was fascinating . I loved learning about Marty Goddard and how she brought this instrumental innovation into fruition. I also enjoyed learning about how much more impactful this invention was with scientific advancement.

I found this book fascinating. Marty Goddard, the unsung hero of the creation of the rape kit, seems to be a complicated women who worked tirelessly as an advocate for the victims of sexual assault until she no longer could do so...and then her story becomes somewhat of a mystery. Kennedy, the author, went down a rabbit hole to find out more about Marty's life and contributions in the 1970s and 1980s that have implications in modern forensic science.

Thanks to NetGalley for early acess to this nonfiction book.

I knew reading this book was going to be difficult but am very glad I decided to venture out of my comfort zone to request this ARC. While the content was in some cases triggering like I anticipated, it was truly enlightening and showcases how far society still has to go to do justice for survivors of sexual assault.

Unsurprisingly, it was a woman named Marty Goddard who created the first rape kit but it was a man who received the credit. In those days it was damn near impossible for a woman to obtain a patent and even be viewed as credible. This was also in the age of marital rape not being acknowledged as legitimate because women were viewed as property. Despite everything going against her, Marty pushed through the hurdles to advocate for women and minorities through many avenues.

This book not only highlighted the issues in the justice system, but the long standing patriarchal beliefs surrounding sexual assault, rape culture, purity culture and the disparities in how people of color are treated in all of these scenarios. I was also incredibly surprised (and pleased) to learn about the involvement of the Playboy Foundation in funding the creation of the rape kits as well as the changes that came about during the pandemic so victims if SA had options to collect evidence without going to the hospital. Marty finally received some acknowledgment of her hard work with this kit being named the Margo in her honor.