Know My Name

by Chanel Miller

[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.