Unwanted Advances

Sexual Paranoia Comes to Campus

De: Laura Kipnis

Narrado por: Gabra Zackman

From a highly regarded feminist cultural critic and professor comes a polemic arguing that the stifling sense of sexual danger sweeping American campuses doesn’t empower women, it impedes the fight for gender equality.

Feminism is broken, argues Laura Kipnis, if anyone thinks the sexual hysteria overtaking American campuses is a sign of gender progress.

A committed feminist, Kipnis was surprised to find herself the object of a protest march by student activists at her university for writing an essay about sexual paranoia on campus. Next she was brought up on Title IX complaints for creating a ""hostile environment."" Defying confidentiality strictures, she wrote a whistleblowing essay about the ensuing seventy-two-day investigation, which propelled her to the center of national debates over free speech, ""safe spaces,"" and the vast federal overreach of Title IX.

In the process she uncovered an astonishing netherworld of accused professors and students, campus witch hunts, rigged investigations, and Title IX officers run amuck. Drawing on interviews and internal documents, Unwanted Advances demonstrates the chilling effect of this new sexual McCarthyism on intellectual freedom. Without minimizing the seriousness of campus assault, Kipnis argues for more honesty about the sexual realities and ambivalences hidden behind the notion of ""rape culture."" Instead, regulation is replacing education, and women’s hard-won right to be treated as consenting adults is being repealed by well-meaning bureaucrats.

Unwanted Advances is a risk-taking, often darkly funny interrogation of feminist paternalism, the covert sexual conservatism of hook-up culture, and the institutionalized backlash of holding men alone responsible for mutually drunken sex. It’s not just compulsively readable, it will change the national conversation.

Great book, boring narrator

This is great book and very important as it brings to light recent events on college campuses. My only complaint is that the narrator uses a flat almost monotone voice throughout the book. If the subject and writing hadn't been so interesting, the narrator may have put me to sleep.

Important contribution to Title IX discussion

Would you listen to Unwanted Advances again? Why?

The argument is well thought out and corroborated by close analysis of several Title IX cases

What other book might you compare Unwanted Advances to and why?

"Unlearning Liberty" by Greg Lukianoff -- also available as an audiobook. They both confront the issue of free speech as well as government and administrative overreach on America's campuses.

Which scene was your favorite?

As a work of nonfiction this question isn't relevant

Any additional comments?

This book offers a refreshing perspective to a troubling issue plaguing American universities. Her methodology is scholarly, providing close readings of several Title IX cases and detailing why we need to be concerned about the way sex is being policed in our universities. The broader implications for society at large are clear. I think this book will have a long shelf life and is a must read for anyone interested in Title IX, regardless of their politics.

Essential Reading

There are a number of books anyone wanting to engage in an intelligent conversation about sexual and gender politics should read. This is one of them.

Argument is Compelling

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, clear, concise and led to compulsive listening! While I don't agree with Kipnis and her point of view, as an academic, I defend her right to have academic freedom.

What other book might you compare Unwanted Advances to and why?

Similar to Missoula by Jon Krakauer, both books are about higher education and mismanagement of sexual assault cases.

What does Gabra Zackman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her tone brings Kipnis and her work to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I listened to almost the entire book one day at work.

A must read for anyone interested in campus insanity

I do a great deal of legal work in this area and know it well. This book is essential for anyone who wants to really understand what's happening on campuses today. It's also impossible to dismiss on a partisan basis, because the author is a liberal feminist. Just a fantastically argued, terrific book.