Name: The First Stone
ISBN: 9780747532521

Helen Garner

When two young women students claimed they had been indecently assaulted at a party by the Master of Ormond at Melbourne University, the shock not only split the college and university communities but focused sharply the larger social debate about sexuality and power.

The First Stone

Eva Bailey

This was written in 1995 and my god does it show. This book was so hard to read and I have so many thoughts. I understand that it is painted as a self reflection on Helen's feminism but her outdated opinions were hard to digest in 2021. 

Suggesting women who reported their sexual assaults to police as having 'priviledged tantrums' was quite upsetting. Also the absolute entitlement Helen has over the two women involved HAVING to give her their side of the story rubbed me the wrong way. Of course they don't want to talk to someone who openly and publicly sided with the man they accused of sexually harassing them.

The only thing that made this book even a little bit readable me was the 25 year anniversary edition foreword by Leigh Sales. I still love Helen but this take was unbelievably angering.

The First Stone

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