The Object That Remains LAURA LEVITT

2020) by Dr. Laura Levitt is a memoir and scholarly examination exploring how items from violent crimes—specifically her own rape case—become lasting evidence of trauma, loss, and memory. It merges personal narrative with the study of material culture, paralleling, for instance, personal artifacts with Holocaust relics to explore how such objects hold "living presence".  Key Aspects of the Book: Context: After a 1989 rape, the author’s case went cold and the evidence was not processed. Focus on Materiality: The book analyzes what it means to hold onto these "dirty" objects, such as clothing, as a way to do justice outside of the traditional legal system. Themes: It bridges the gap between intimate, personal trauma and broader historical, collective memory. Style: It is described as a "meditative" book that blends personal history with cultural analysis of traumatic evidence.