First published 2014
William Cohan dissects the 2006 Duke lacrosse team rape case that captivated national headlines. He examines how Duke's aggressive pursuit of Ivy League status and athletic dominance created a volatile campus culture of academic pressure and wild partying. The author reconstructs the night in question, the police investigation, and the media firestorm that followed. Multiple powerful forces clashed as the scandal unfolded. Duke president Richard Brodhead and the board of trustees fought to protect the university's brand. Faculty members spoke out against the lacrosse players. Wealthy parents hired expensive lawyers to defend their sons. Prosecutor Mike Nifong pursued the case aggressively. Meanwhile, the accuser's claims fell apart under scrutiny. Cohan reveals how the collision of unbridled ambition, racial tensions, prosecutorial overreach, and media sensationalism nearly destroyed lives and reputations. The resolution came at enormous financial and human cost, exposing deeper problems with elite college culture across America.
Genres: crime, non-fiction, journalism, true-crime, academic, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: abuse-of-power, corruption, institutional-cover-up
Setting: Duke University
Period: 2006
843 pages · Hardcover · Scribner
Content warnings: racism