Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Book Review
Everyone NEEDS to read this book! I finished it in three days - partly because it was so intriguing and inspiring and partly because I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible due to the frustration, rage and sadness it made me feel.
In her debut memoir, Chanel Miller reclaims her voice and tells her side of the story. You may know her as Emily Doe from the Brock Turner sexual assault case. The book begins in the immediate aftermath of Miller’s attack - she wakes up in a hospital and doesn’t remember a thing. After being poked and prodded and handed literature that included words like “rape” and “sexual assault”, Miller left the hospital in a state of shock and confusion. She would come to find out about the details of her assault through the media, along with the rest of the world, where she was identified as “unconscious intoxicated woman”.
Through the course of the book, Miller takes us through the tumultuous judicial processes and clearly depicts the nearly insurmountable obstacles that stand between survivors and justice. We also see how her victim impact statement - read during the sentencing - took the world by storm after it was published on BuzzFeed.
This book is incredibly timely considering Brock Turner is truly the epitome of white privilege. As the author points out, had her attacker been a POC, he, without question, would have received a much harsher punishment than 3 months in county jail.
I’ll say it again - everyone needs to read this book! Not only does it offer so many important lessons, but it’s incredibly inspiring to see how Chanel Miller took something so horrible and turned it into something so moving, powerful and impactful. She provides hope that change truly is possible and that each one of us has a role to play in changing the status quo.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars
