Staff Pick
Chanel Miller. Wow. I'm in complete awe of her resilience and strength. There is a reason Hillary Clinton quoted her victim impact statement in her own book and it doesn't just have to do with her skill as a writer. Chanel Miller is not only a strong woman, but has the brilliant, singular skill of being able to parse out into words her painful journey and inner turmoil with strength, power, and eloquence. This should be required reading in the era we live in. It will shatter all illusions that one might have about what it means to be a survivor, the level of strength required to seek justice, recover, and take back who you are. We all could have been an Emily Doe. Chanel Miller is one of those Emily Does who spoke up and gave them a voice. Recommended By Pia B., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The riveting, powerful memoir of the woman whose statement to Brock Turner gave voice to millions of survivors 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.
Synopsis
A New York Times Bestseller "A devastating, immersive memoir...Miller is an extraordinary writer: plain, precise and moving." --NPR
"Know My Name is a gut-punch, and in the end, somehow, also blessedly hopeful...She implores us, too, to challenge and question the systems that aren't working. As we examine how to prevent and prosecute sexual assault cases, this last lesson may be the most important of all." --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.