Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Know My Name

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

35 reviews

deborahsebastian's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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zahraa_aj's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

“I did not come into existence when he harmed me. She found her voice! I had a voice, he stripped it, left me groping around blind for a bit, but I always had it. I just used it like I never had to use it before. I do not owe him my success, becoming, he did not create me. The only credit Brock can take is for assaulting me, and he could never even admit to that.”

I've had my eye on this book for over 8 months now, thinking I'm going to read it when I'm emotionally capable of handling the topic, but alas there's no such time in the near future. I wish I could give this to the man who circled my coworkers & me, following us to our workplace, speeding away only when we tried taking a picture of the plate number. Or to the two boys who were too young to be on a motorbike, but old enough to yell, "wh*res", as a group of us walked back from lunch. I wish I could give it to the men who whisper, call & shout cruelties to me in the street, while I'm expected to walk my path, unchanged, as their words simmered inside me.

When I was younger, I had so much respect for people in the justice system, I thought that everything could be solved if only we had the right laws, the right people enforcing them. In my naive mind, witnessing the corruption consume members of the legal system felt like seeing a mascot taking off their costume, seeing them for the first time, and thinking, "Oh, you're a person." I knew they were a person, but I guess I never realized it.

Looking at the reviews, I was surprised by the number of them mentioning how this book got "too political" at the end when the elections were mentioned in a paragraph, and the challenges victims of police violence were facing in the legal system were brought rightfully, as the frustration and accusations Miller faced in the legal system despite being the victim, mirrored that of theirs.

In the end, I don't think I can really "review" this book so I'm writing this for myself because I view it as a memory, and a yet-to-end story a friend told me as we sat on a bench in a garden.

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achablani's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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jmbibliophile's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

What an incredible memoir. The writing was excellent, with emotion pouring off the page. Her message was powerful, relatable, and hard-to-swallow. Chanel's story represents a suffering that so many women go through when they report their assault. We follow her battle through the justice system - arduous, painful, and horribly unsatisfactory - a symbol of the broken system that favors the rich, powerful, and white. We also see her battle the court of public opinion, one that required perfection of the victim while continuing to make excuses for the perpetrator. I am so deeply touched and inspired by Chanel's story, her battle, and her strength to keep going. I will never forget Chanel Miller. This memoir is a must-read.

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nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.5

“I encourage you to sit in that garden [at Stanford] but when you do, close your eyes, and I’ll tell you about the real garden, the sacred place. Ninety feet away from where you sit there is a spot where Brock Turner’s knees hit the dirt, where the Swedes tacked him to the ground, yelling ‘What the f*** are you doing? Do you think this is okay?’ Put their words on a plaque. Mark that spot, because in my mind I’ve erected a monument. The place to be remembered is not where I was assaulted, but where he fell, where I was saved, where two men declared stop, no more, not here, not now, not ever.”

“This book does not have a happy ending. The happy part is there is no ending, because I’ll always keep finding a way to keep going.”

I had to set this book down many times because of all the intense emotions it made me feel. I felt so angry over how the justice system fails victims, how Stanford failed Chanel and then tried to patch it up by creating a garden where she was raped, the emotional weight her, her family and friends endured all throughout the trial and to this day.

This was a very hard book to read but too often as a society, we smooth over the cracks in our facade and look away from the pain, only wanting to see this idealistic and perfect thing. We ignore the bad, rewarding the society-accepted “good”. Chanel didn’t have the option to ignore the bad that was thrust onto her, she experienced society’s bad at full capacity. Seeing her shine a light on it, pulling back the curtain of what she went through to expose the cracks in our legal system, colleges and media, it was a much needed reality check.

Thank you, Chanel, for writing this book. Thank you for sharing your story with us all and continuing to fight.

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ksheaffs's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Easiest 5 stars ever given. Review to come!

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brookey8888's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

This was a very difficult read, but I’m glad I read it. Tbh I knew only the Bare minimum about this case, so I’m glad I got to learn more about what actually happened. Channel is so strong and so are her support systems. She’s really someone to look up to and I’m so sorry this happened to her. I did tear up multiple times.

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prakriti_archit's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I knew the story that I was about to step into, but I never anticipated how beautifully it would be written. Chanel's writing is transcendental, crossing from page to reader like butter and cutting through time, age, gender, and racial divides to deliver one undeniable truth. Her truth. Her use of metaphors is brilliantly done, her description are vivid, and her ability to emulate emotions is immaculate. I am so honoured to have had the privilege to read this book.

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teslacannon's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

Love Chanel, hate the American justice system. I even listened to the acknowledgments.

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jerusha's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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