Thursday, January 16, 2025

Q&A with Pagan Kennedy


 

 

Pagan Kennedy is the author of the new book The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story. Her other books include 'Zine.

 

Q: How did you first learn about Marty Goddard, who developed the rape kit, and at what point did you decide to write this book?

 

A: For a couple of years, my job was to produce a weekly column for The New York Times Magazine called "Who Made That." I'd take an ordinary object (like sliced bread or the office cubicle) and trace it back through time to its origins. 

 

Even after I quit being the "Who Made That guy," I retained my fascination with the beginnings of things... and with the political agendas hidden in  designed objects. So I brought that kind of curiosity to the rape kit. 

 

Why the kit? In 2018, when I started this project, the sexual-assault evidence kit was very much in the news. Police departments had failed to test nearly a half a million kits, many of which contained evidence that could have led to the identification of serial predators. 

 

One day as I was reading a newspaper, I found myself asking, "How did the rape kit come into existence? Who made it happen?"  And those questions sent me tumbling down into a rabbit hole.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: My editor and I landed on "The Secret History of the Rape Kit" because we wanted to signal that even though Marty Goddard is the hero of the story, the kit is its main character. 

 

In my mind, the book is an extended opinion-piece essay; by following the rape kit through history, readers will gain a new way to think about the criminal justice system.

 

Of course, the book also offers up a gripping narrative. So we chose the subtitle -- "a true crime story" -- as a promise to readers that the book will be vivid and cinematic, as well as rigorously researched.

 

The story of sexual-assault evidence in America pushes the boundaries of the true-crime genre, because over and over again police departments stood in the way of justice. 

 

So I was hoping that the subtitle would inspire some readers to think about the true-crime genre in a new way. What is a "crime" exactly? What happens when the police departments throw out evidence or refuse to collect it? 

 

Q: The writer Rachel Louise Snyder said of the book, “Marty Goddard as a footnote in history takes her rightful place as a visionary thanks to Kennedy's relentless investigation.” What do you think of that description, and how would you describe Goddard’s legacy today?

 

A: Indeed, one of the many reasons that I wrote this book was to put Marty Goddard into the history books. I'm glad to say that has happened already. Marty Goddard is now generally recognized as a major figure in forensics. 

 

The curators at the Smithsonian Institute deserve huge props for helping to educate the public about this important history. They acquired one of the original kits used in the 1970s and are including it in a show that runs through next summer. I hope that everyone interested in American forensics will check out this exhibit.


Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: In 2018, when I went looking for the person who had pioneered the rape-kit evidence system, Wikipedia gave all the credit to a police officer named Louis Vitullo. 

 

In fact, if you go onto the Internet Wayback machine, you can see what I saw back then: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rape_kit&oldid=847703482

 

But as I read through hundreds of old newspaper articles and interviewed people who had been involved in the development of the kit, I discovered a very different story -- and I stumbled across a fascinating, complicated and brilliant women named Marty Goddard who had devoted herself to make the rape kit a reality.  

 

That was just the first surprise of many. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: A recent Pew Research study showed that well over half of all young American women now say that they don't want to bear children or become mothers. 

 

That's an enormous turn-around just in my lifetime; in the late 20th century, it was rare for a woman to declare her intentions not to have kids. I was the rare oddball in the 1990s who "outed" myself and pledged that I would never voluntarily have children; it just wasn't for me. 

 

Today, most young women (and other people with wombs) are embracing that identity. So what's going on? Why the shift?  

 

I wanted to explore such questions through a story with a cast of characters and a dramatic arc -- and I have found, indeed, a true-life story so compelling that I can't stop digging deeper and deeper into it. I was already working on this new book proposal when JD Vance began attacking childless cat ladies -- so that's added to my sense of urgency. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Hmmm... Can't think of anything. Thanks for the terrific questions!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

1 comment:


  1. This interview with Pagan Kennedy is such an intriguing read! I really enjoyed the insights into her creative process and how she weaves history and storytelling together so seamlessly. Her approach to uncovering untold stories is truly inspiring.

    Thank you for highlighting her work in such a thoughtful way—it’s made me even more curious to explore her books. Looking forward to reading more of your fantastic interviews!

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