Saturday, November 30, 2019

Book Review | Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly

I know, I know. I went and made a list of books that people wanted to see reviewed and then I go off and review something else anyway. But this NEEDS to be said, even though it has been said a million times already: sexual predators and their enablers are scum-sucking pieces of shit.

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Rating: 5 Stars

This won't be terribly long, because I am pretty rage-y about this. I was pretty rage-y about it nearly twenty years ago when he was found not guilty in the first trial, but it didn't matter then, because - as the author states (factually, unfortunately) - R. Kelly got away with his crimes for so long because he targeted the population that is the most vulnerable in our society: young Black girls. I remember people making jokes about that tape, calling it the 'pee tape'. Um, excuse me, how about calling it what it actually is - child pornography and the rape of a minor. For fucks sake. I can't even.

This book infuriates me in that it even needed to be written. I had to skim over the more graphic parts because I just can't hear it any more. Everyone knew for years what he was doing, and they allowed it. No one did anything to help these girls he was hurting. They certainly did not get justice the first time around in that joke of a trial with that joke of a fucking judge who THREW A PARTY when it was over. Everyone knew, no one cared. Just like with Weinstein and all those other fucking assholes who think they can do whatever they want because they have money and power.

R. Kelly is a piece of shit. Don't come at me about, "But oh, his music is so great." Fuck that noise.

If you are an R. Kelly supporter (which then makes you garbage as well), this book won't change your mind because you already know everything and you choose to not care, just like all those people who could have done something but didn't, chose to not care.

If you see R. Kelly for the monster that he is, you will probably get rage-y like me and flip out and want to punch a hole in the wall or something.

Even so, this pretty succinctly and evenly lays out the timeline, from start to finish. My heart breaks for those girls and I hope to God that Kelly never sees freedom again.

8 comments:

  1. Yep. I can see that this book would make someone ragey. I'm ragey about it all without even reading it, I just watched the documentary and it made me stabby. The man is a monster.

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    1. I have not seen the documentary but it is referenced a lot in the book as the journalist discusses the girls and women. I might punch a hole in the tv if I watched it.

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  2. Rage here is a good thing. If you could read about this and not be moved by it, then I think there would be a problem.
    One by one these men are getting caught out and called out for their actions. The world is slowly changing for the better, although it's still such an uphill struggle

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    1. Agreed, progress is progress. But it still infuriates me that men think they can continue to behave in atrocious ways. Did you see the news a couple weeks ago that Harvey Weinstein showed up at an event for up and coming creatives, and people who protested his presence were the ones who were kicked out? Fuck that. It should be impossible for him and others like him to go anywhere without constant attention being drawn to what pieces of shit they are.

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  3. fantastic review and a very difficult subject to read about. why do so many forget about the victims. forget him and any rights he thinks he has. i always wonder about the lawyers. i know it's their job to defend scum suckers like this, but how do they live with themselves when they get away with it?
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. That has always been my thought too. There is no way I could ever be a defense attorney. Absolutely could not happen.

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  4. The boys club and their entitlement to do what they will with females are a plague on humanity. Their days are numbered!

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    1. I hope so. I hope we can keep the pressure on and shine lights on these pieces of scum. Unfortunately there's one in the WH too, so it makes it all that much more difficult.

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