Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Ich habe einen Namen

Masterpiece. Instant classic. Gut punch. What to say about this incredible book? Miller doesn't just draw back the curtain on women's need for constant vigilance and gender violence, she burns it. Her story, searing, honest, and fierce, blazes with pain, light, healing, and tenacity. I have never been spoken to so clearly, touched so deeply, and I've certainly never sobbed so hard with grief. This is a lament and a rocky path out of darkness. Miller's writing is clear, gorgeous, expressive, and incredibly well-crafted. Really a life-changing book.

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cmruth98's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

“I wrote this book because the world can be harsh and terrible and unforgiving. I wrote because there were times I did not feel like living. I wrote because the court system is slow as a snail, and victims are forced to spend so much time fighting, rather than spending their days creating, drawing, cooking. I wrote to expose the brutalist of entitlement, gender violence, and class privilege in our society. But I would be failing you if you walked away from this book untouched by humanity, without seeing what I saw: those thousands of handwritten letters, the green-lipped fish at the bottom of the ocean, the winking court reporter. All the small miracles that sustained me.”

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robinks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

This was such a powerful, revolutionary memoir, and listening to it read by Chanel was so moving. I am hopeful that society is moving in a direction where victims do not have to go nearly as far as Chanel did to receive appropriate justice. I am also hopeful that these acts of violence can continue to be intercepted by community and looking out for each other. Believe victims, and believe women.

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dreamingpages's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

As a survivor, this was challenging to get through. I shed a lot of tears reading this and there were many times I needed to put the book down and take a break.

Ultimately, though, the experience was cathartic. Chanel was able to put into words so many of my thoughts and feelings around SA and r**e culture that I've never been able to articulate. Her anger and hopelessness really resonated me, but so did her resilience and determination to carve out an identity beyond simply being a victim. Chanel is inspiring and so brave.

While I understand that the purpose of this book was to reclaim her identity and call out the glaring systemic flaws in the US system for reporting SA, my only critique is that I feel the book could discourage other women from coming forward. Being realistic about the challenges of the legal process is important, but at the end, I was left with the idea that unless ALL the stars align, your case is utterly hopeless and dead in the water. I feel this is counterintuitive to encouraging change. The more women who feel empowered to come forward, the more likely we are to see major change.

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annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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gracemcg's review against another edition

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challenging

4.25

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jmitchell20's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative slow-paced

4.0

Read the audiobook, narrated by the author.

A difficult, but worthwhile, read.

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