victim-blaming

In this chapter, Professor Mary Vaughan, a geneticist working late in her lab, is violently assaulted and raped by a masked attacker on the university campus. Despite her trauma, she chooses not to report the crime to authorities, fearing disbelief and victim-blaming, and instead collects forensic evidence herself to preserve the possibility of future justice. The chapter explores her emotional and physical ordeal, as well as her isolation and determination to maintain control over the aftermath.