The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, the Power of the Elite, and the Corruption of Our Great Universities
*Starred Review* In 2006, when members of the Duke lacrosse team were accused of raping a stripper hired to entertain at a party, the case shone a harsh light on growing concerns about the blurred line between athletics and academics. The relationship between sports and the academic side of college life has long been troubled, with student athletes often exempted from attending classes and their bad behavior routinely overlooked. The Duke case was complicated by the fact that the alleged victim was a black woman and her alleged attackers were privileged young white men. The case had all the elements of controversy—race, sex, tensions between town and gown, and the larger issue of how universities balance the corrupting influences of the prominence and profitability of their sports programs. Cohan (House of Cards, 2009) explores the social dynamics that clouded every aspect of the case. Drawing on interviews and official records, Cohan details the events of the night and the growing turmoil on campus as news of the alleged crime spread, setting in motion the university’s machinery to protect its reputation. Cohan explores the usual disconnects that occur in high-profile crime cases between what is reported by the press, chronicled in official records, and perceived as public opinion and what really happened. A gripping account of a sensational case. --Vanessa Bush