Marty Goddard dreamed up a new crime-solving tool—a kit that could help rape survivors fight for justice. This thrilling investigation tells the story of the troubled, heroic woman who kicked off a feminist revolution in forensics, and then vanished into obscurity.
"Astonishing . . . Marty Goddard takes her rightful place as a visionary thanks to Kennedy’s relentless investigation.”—Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises
"The Secret History of the Rape Kit is stunning: part thriller, part feminist reclamation, part personal journey, fully a page-turner. How did we not know about Marty Goddard?"—Peggy Orenstein author of Girls & Sex and Boys & Sex
In 1972, Martha "Marty" Goddard volunteered at a crisis hotline, counseling girls who had been molested by their fathers, their teachers, their uncles. Soon, Marty was on a mission to answer a question: Why were so many sexual predators getting away with these crimes? By the end of the decade, she had launched a campaign pushing hospitals and police departments to collect evidence of sexual assault and treat survivors with dignity. She designed a new kind of forensics tool—the rape kit—and new practices around evidence collection that spread across the country. Yet even as Marty fought for women's rights, she allowed a man to take credit for her work.
When journalist Pagan Kennedy went looking for this forgotten pioneer, she discovered that even Marty Goddard's closest friends had lost track of her. As Pagan followed a trail of clues to solve the mystery of Marty, she also delved into the problematic history of forensics in America. The Secret History of the Rape Kit chronicles one journalist's mission to understand a crucial innovation in forensics and the woman who championed it. As Pagan Kennedy hunts for answers, she reflects on her own experiences with sexual assault and her own desire for justice.
The story behind a tool that changed justice
"Some books uncover a piece of history that most people never realized existed. ‘The Secret History of the Rape Kit’ by Pagan Kennedy is one of those stories. What appears at first to be a book about forensic science slowly unfolds into something much larger. It reveals the complicated path behind a tool that today plays an essential role in criminal investigations. At the center of this history stands Marty Goddard, whose determination helped shape the development of the modern rape kit. Her work grew out of a painful realization that the system lacked the tools and procedures needed to properly document sexual violence. Kennedy carefully reconstructs how Goddard pushed for change in a system that was slow to listen. The strength of the book lies in its research. Kennedy combines investigative journalism with historical context, showing how social attitudes, law enforcement practices, and forensic science slowly intersected. At times the pacing feels somewhat uneven, with certain developments explored in detail while others pass more quickly, which occasionally softens the narrative flow. Even so, the importance of the story remains undeniable. This is not a sensational true crime account, but rather a thoughtful exploration of how persistence and innovation can gradually reshape the justice system. ‘The Secret History of the Rape Kit’ reads like the uncovering of a forgotten chapter in forensic history. It is a story that highlights how change often begins quietly, long before the world is ready to listen. True Crime History | Investigative Journalism | Forensic Science | Women’s History | Justice System | Social Change"
