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Black Box
- Author
- Shiori Itō
- Narrator
- Emily Woo Zeller
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 11 September 2021
- Run Time
- 6 hours 21 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Now an award-winning documentary film by Shiori Itō
Black Box is a riveting, sobering memoir that chronicles one woman’s struggle for justice, calling for changes to an industry—and in society at large—to ensure that future victims of sexual assault can come forward without being silenced and humiliated.
In 2015, an aspiring young journalist named Shiori Ito charged prominent reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi with rape. After meeting up for drinks and networking, Ito remembers regaining consciousness in a hotel room while being assaulted. But when she went to the police, Ito was told that her case was a “black box”—untouchable and unprosecutable.
Upon publication in 2017, Ito’s searing account foregrounded the #MeToo movement in Japan and became the center of an urgent cultural and legal shift around recognizing sexual assault and gender-based violence. As international outlets covered every step of her story—even documenting it in the BBC film Japan’s Secret Shame—this book launched a societal reckoning. At the end of 2019, Ito won a civil case against Yamaguchi.
With careful and quiet fury, Black Box recounts a broken system of repression and violence—but it also heralds the beginning of a new solidarity movement seeking a more equitable path toward justice.
Critics Review
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“Unforgettable.”
Foreword Reviews
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“This unflinching, heavily researched book shimmers with vulnerability, introspection, and purpose…written with devastating moral and emotional clarity.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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“Her memoir is both infuriating and inspiring.”
Literary Hub
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“Ito’s searing account foregrounded the #MeToo movement in Japan and became the center of an urgent cultural and legal shift around recognizing sexual assault and gender-based violence.”
Feminist Press
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“[Ito] is writing this book not to bring attention to herself but to help others and in response to the man and the system he relied on to erase her and the violence he had enacted on her.”
Brooklyn Rail
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“Astonishingly courageous—a blueprint for systemic change.”
Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises
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“Deeply researched and impeccably reported.”
Grace Talusan, author of The Body Papers
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“A master class on how to refuse to be silenced, even when an entire government is set against you.”
Jaclyn Friedman, coeditor of Yes Means Yes
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“Ito’s determination to seek justice, for herself and for other survivors of sexual violence, is inspiring.”
Anne Summers, author of Damned Whores and God’s Police
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“Such a beautifully written book, which means so much more when layered with the pain and injustice it covers.”
Amy Richards, coauthor of Manifesta
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“Black Box is a moving study of sexist Japan, political corruption, police failure to investigate rape, and justice sought and won by Ito’s own efforts and investigation.”
Jake Adelstein, author of Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan
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“Behind Shiori Ito’s words are the cries of countless others who did not speak up because of the intense pressure against them. I hope that these cries will not be silenced. This book is a step toward making such hopes not an impossible dream.”
Sayaka Murata, internationally bestselling author
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“Ito’s account of her courageous fight against sexual violence rejects the harmful trope of the cardboard victim, reclaiming her identity as an adventurous, lively, determined, blithe spirit.”
Sohaila Abdulali, author of What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Shiori Itō
- Narrator
- Emily Woo Zeller
- Duration
- 6 hours 21 minutes
- Release Date
- 11 September 2021
- ISBN
- 9781665092098
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Biography: general, Ethnic studies, Biography: general, Publishing industry and journalism, Feminism and feminist theory, Sexual abuse and harassment
Synopsis
Now an award-winning documentary film by Shiori ItōBlack Box is a riveting, sobering memoir that chronicles one woman’s struggle for justice, calling for changes to an industry—and in society at large—to ensure that future victims of sexual assault can come forward without being silenced and humiliated.In 2015, an aspiring young journalist named Shiori Ito charged prominent reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi with rape. After meeting up for drinks and networking, Ito remembers regaining consciousness in a hotel room while being assaulted. But when she went to the police, Ito was told that her case was a “black box”—untouchable and unprosecutable.Upon publication in 2017, Ito’s searing account foregrounded the #MeToo movement in Japan and became the center of an urgent cultural and legal shift around recognizing sexual assault and gender-based violence. As international outlets covered every step of her story—even documenting it in the BBC film Japan’s Secret Shame—this book launched a societal reckoning. At the end of 2019, Ito won a civil case against Yamaguchi.With careful and quiet fury, Black Box recounts a broken system of repression and violence—but it also heralds the beginning of a new solidarity movement seeking a more equitable path toward justice.
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