Following news at the beginning of May that the End the Backlog campaign had finally achieved rape kit reform legislation in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Now, in the year of aggravation that is 2026. But, with a goal of being thankful for the wins and not angered by their delay I decided it was time to move The Secret History of the Rape Kit up to the top of my reading list.
Pagan Kennedy’s book traces the story of the creation of the modern rape kit and the woman, Marty Goddard, who invented it. Goddard has been missing from the historical record of this scientific advancement (a theme for me lately) even though her work and advocacy changed the course of how we treat sexual assault. The book also chronicles Kennedy’s research into Goddard and her personal reasons why she felt compelled to pursue it. The subtitle hints at that, and I feel that is important to know to set expectations about this read. As much as it is a microhistory, it is also a memoir.
The narrative goes beyond Goddard as well, following the story of the rape kit through to the present, including the very real problem of backlogs, funding needs, and the ways in which the rape kit can and does fail survivors, especially those of color. But the book is written almost to the exclusion of our trans siblings and male survivors and that felt like such an oversight (I’m giving grace and not assuming it was done for nefarious purposes) given how well Kennedy lays out how the kit being de facto created for white women has caused it to be less effective for black women specifically.
I’m rounding this one up to 4 stars. It was an important read, and well written, but it has some gaps that take away from a rather thorough history of how rape is handled in the American justice system.
