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A review by lauraorourke
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I heard such great things about this book when it was released last year, so I was looking forward to reading it. It did not disappoint. It is an incredibly readable memoir pairing the true crime details from a college sexual violence case and the author's personal experience with sexual violence. While the prose is engaging, the topic is heavy. (Obvious trigger warnings, plus CSA and suicidal thoughts).
The author was quite critical of her role as a private investigator whose task was to get the right information to prove that the university knew about and did nothing about its culture of sexual assault, especially within the context of the football team. Her role was integral to getting the outcome the case needed, but it is clear reading from her perspective that she felt like she was continuing the process of exploiting victims. It made her honestly a bit unlikeable and I found myself frustrated at how she was engaging in her work, however, I also wonder if it shows important self-awareness for her to have written about the experiences in such a way. She does not write herself as the hero, but as another cog in a system that exploits women and victims of abuse, even when the outcome is the right one.
There was a lot personal about this book for me. I spent a year at university as a football trainer, and I was good friends with football players during the first two years of my university career. One of my own experiences of sexual assault happened with a football player (not one who was my friend, at least) and this book brought a lot of those memories back. I really understood the experiences of the women who were friends with these football players.
I think I probably need a few books to refresh me from reading a couple of books about sexual assault in a row. I'm glad I read this but I'm also glad to put a bit of distance between myself and this reading experience.
The author was quite critical of her role as a private investigator whose task was to get the right information to prove that the university knew about and did nothing about its culture of sexual assault, especially within the context of the football team. Her role was integral to getting the outcome the case needed, but it is clear reading from her perspective that she felt like she was continuing the process of exploiting victims. It made her honestly a bit unlikeable and I found myself frustrated at how she was engaging in her work, however, I also wonder if it shows important self-awareness for her to have written about the experiences in such a way. She does not write herself as the hero, but as another cog in a system that exploits women and victims of abuse, even when the outcome is the right one.
There was a lot personal about this book for me. I spent a year at university as a football trainer, and I was good friends with football players during the first two years of my university career. One of my own experiences of sexual assault happened with a football player (not one who was my friend, at least) and this book brought a lot of those memories back. I really understood the experiences of the women who were friends with these football players.
I think I probably need a few books to refresh me from reading a couple of books about sexual assault in a row. I'm glad I read this but I'm also glad to put a bit of distance between myself and this reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts