merryfaith
Written on Apr 29, 2020
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING MEMOIR
'Incredibly moving and haunting' Roxane Gay
'I read this book cover to cover and it stunned me' Jia Tolentino
'Powerful, honest and necessary' Marian Keyes
'To girls everywhere, I am with you. On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you. I fought every day for you. So never stop fighting, I believe you.'
Chanel Miller's story changed our world forever. In 2016 Brock Turner was sentenced to just six months in jail after he was caught sexually assaulting her on Stanford's campus. His light sentencing, and Chanel's victim impact statement, which was read by eleven million people in four days, sparked international outrage and action.
Know My Name is an intimate, profoundly moving memoir that exposes a patriarchal culture biased to protect perpetrators, 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. Entwining pain, resilience, and humour, this breath-taking memoir will stand as a modern classic.
'I could not put this phenomenal book down' Glennon Doyle, bestselling author of UNTAMED
'To read Know My Name inspires hope' Guardian
'A searing, beautiful book' Sunday Times
'Know My Name marks the debut of a gifted young writer. Miller's words are purpose. They are maps. And she is a treasure who has prevailed' New York Times
- ISBN10 0241428270
- ISBN13 9780241428276
- Publish Date 24 September 2019
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 30 March 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
- Imprint Viking
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
clementine
Written on Sep 30, 2019
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.