This article concerns rape survivors' preparation for courtroom appearances. It is an inductive analysis of face-to-face interviews and courtroom observation. The study builds on research about resistance to rape, reporting, the prosecution of rape, and anthropological studies of legal consciousness. It begins with descriptions of survivors' preparation activities: appearance work, rehearsal, emotion work, team building, role research, and case enhancement. It then explores how survivors' legal experience and knowledge of the legal system, awareness of dominant cultural understandings of rape, personal sense of efficacy, and the quality of their interactions with prosecutors lead them to prepare more or less intensively for their court appearances.
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