Know My Name: A Memoir

Know My Name: A Memoir

Chanel Miller

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:
Write a review

8 ratings • 3 reviews

SHE WAS KNOWN TO THE WORLD AS Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford’s campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral—viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time. Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways—there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life. Know My Name will forever transform the way we think about sexual assault, challenging our beliefs about what is acceptable and speaking truth to the tumultuous reality of healing. It also introduces readers to an extraordinary writer, one whose words have already changed our world. Entwining pain, resilience, and humor, this memoir will stand as a modern classic. A NOTE ON THE JACKET The gold veins on the cover represent the Japanese art of kintsugi, "golden repair," in which pieces of broken pottery are mended with powdered gold and lacquer, rather than treating the breaks as blemishes to conceal. The technique shows us that although an object cannot be returned to its original state, fragments can be made whole again.


From the Forum

No posts yet

Kick off the convo with a theory, question, musing, or update

Recent Reviews
  • Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    So well done. So moving. So infuriating. Ugh.

    0
    comments 0
    Reply
  • Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    No words can describe how incredible this book was. I cried through Chanel’s pain. An effecting account of the realities of being a victim of sexual assault and how your identity is taken from you

    0
    comments 0
    Reply
  • Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    This is the best book I’ve read this year, yet! Her writing is stunning (I never use that word t describe books because it makes me sound like a HGTV host or something. So I’m saying something! ) I felt trembly through most of this book because of the way the author is able to describe her feelings in a Toni Morrison-level way. Even when I’d take a break or go to work, the emotions this book bubbled up had me feeling sort of fragile for the entire day. I like when writing has a visceral effect on me :)

    What makes this book even more personal is the fact that she’s got a Chinese mom + a little sister she deeply loves and does anything for, and the way she writes about them bubbles up my love for my family too.

    This book isn’t about Brock Turner, it’s about Chanel’s identity, her finding pain and healing, and about the legit dumb process that sexual assault victims are put through when they raise their hands.


    Also shout out to Muttville, the adoption center for senior dogs, which played a small role in her story :)

    0
    comments 0
    Reply
  • Community recs for similar books
    Buy Lucy & Jennifer a coffee ☕️