Know My Name: A Memoir

by Chanel Miller

Universally acclaimed, rapturously reviewed, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography, and an instant New York Times bestseller, Chanel Miller's breathtaking memoir "gives readers the privilege of knowing her not just as Emily Doe, but as Chanel Miller the writer, the artist, the survivor, the fighter." (The Wrap).

"I opened Know My Name with the intention to bear witness to the story of a survivor. Instead, I found myself falling into the hands of one of the great writers and thinkers of our time. Chanel Miller is a philosopher, a cultural critic, a deep observer, a writer's writer, a true artist. I could not put this phenomenal book down." --Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and Untamed

"Know My Name is a gut-punch, and in the end, somehow, also blessedly hopeful." --Washington Post

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.

Chosen as a BEST BOOK OF 2019 by The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, TIME, Elle, Glamour, Parade, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, BookRiot

• ISBN10: 073522370X
• ISBN13: 9780735223707
• Publish Date: 24 September 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• Imprint: Viking
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780735223707

Reviews

[merryfaith]

I wish I could tell everyone to listen to or read this. I don't think anything I can say could possibly do this justice. It is hard and heavy, but also hopeful. And, it is not just the subject matter that makes this book so phenomenal - yes, it is important, but Chanel is a tremendous writer, and has told her story so powerfully. Just, read this!!!

[clementine]

4.5 stars

From the moment I read Chanel Miller's victim impact statement in 2016, I knew that she was a powerful, strong, and unstoppable woman. Her book simply reinforces this fact. Equal parts hopeful and angry, Miller's writing is bold, brave, and unapologetic. She describes what it is like to navigate systems that work to retraumatize victims and uphold rape culture. She beautifully elucidates moments of clarity, pain, and optimism. She is a remarkable person; my admiration for her work is immense. During the trial, Brock Turner's defense lawyer used the gap in Miller's memory to attempt to rewrite the story of her rape - but here Miller takes charge of the narrative. It is an unspeakable injustice that a relatively good outcome for a sexual assault trial is that Brock Turner spent a mere ninety days in county prison - but the recall of Judge Persky, the change in California's definition of rape, and the amplification of Miller's voice prove that justice can manifest itself in many ways. Should Turner still be behind bars? Yes. But we live in a world in which everybody knows that he sexually assaulted an unconscious woman, where tens of millions of people have read her victim impact statement and many more will read her book. Brock Turner is a washed-up swimmer and convicted sex offender; Chanel Miller is a force to be reckoned with, and he could not take away her humanity, her intelligence, her compassion, her strength, her resilience - nor could he dilute the love and support of her family, friends, and strangers from all over the world. There were moments where I felt that the text could have benefited from a bit more editing to tighten up the prose, but Miller's writing, attitude, and approach are enough to reduce anyone to tears. Highly recommended - I am so glad I knew her name and her story, and I hope she continues to use her powerful voice.