Norwood Library Hosts Zoom Author Discussion

NORWOOD, MA - The Morrill Memorial Library, in collaboration with the Tewksbury Public Library, will host Michelle Bowdler, recently recognized by the Massachusetts Center for the Book as one of Massachusetts’ must-read authors of the year, on Tuesday, November 16 at 7 p.m.

She will discuss her critically-acclaimed book, “Is Rape a Crime?: A Memoir, An Investigation, and a Manifesto” on Zoom.

In her memoir, Bowdler, an award-winning writer and public health executive, indicts how sexual violence has been addressed for decades in our society. She asks whether rape is a crime given that it is the least reported major felony, least successfully prosecuted, and fewer than 3 % of rapists ever spend a day in jail, according to her research.

In 1984, the Boston Sexual Assault Unit was formed as a result of a series of break-ins and rapes that terrorized the city, of which Michelle’s own horrific rape was the last. Twenty years later, after a career of working with victims like herself, Bowdler decides to find out what happened to her case and why she never heard from the police again after one brief interview. An expert blend of memoir and cultural investigation, Michelle's story is a rallying cry to reclaim our power and right our world.

Registration for this program is required. Attendees can sign up to attend virtually via the Library calendar at this link, or by calling the Reference Desk at 781-769-0200 x2. A link will be emailed to registered participants.

Bowdler is the Executive Director of Health & Wellness at Tufts University and, after graduating from the Harvard School of Public Health, has worked on social justice issues related to rape for more than a decade. "Is Rape a Crime?" is her first book. She is a recipient of a 2017 Barbara Deming Memorial Award and has been a Fellow at Ragdale and the MacDowell Colony. Bowdler's writing has been published in the New York Times, and her essays, “Eventually You Tell Your Kids” and “Babelogue," were nominated for Pushcart Prizes.

Thanks to the Tewksbury Library for inviting the Norwood Library to partner.