Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - Know My Name

This is possibly the best book I have ever read. I started this book without truly knowing what it was about, and I finished it in tears, feeling inspired. This book is painful, beautiful, heavy, and encouraging, and everyone should read this. The small moments of hope in the Swedes who saved Chanel, the doorwomen of her apartment, the old man on the bench, Alaleh, Tiffany, Lucas, and Chanel's own voice reading the audiobook were a comforting hug in a book riddled with trauma. I will never stop recommending this book to anyone I ever meet.

Favorite Quote: "It is not a question of if you will survive this, but what beautiful things await you when you do."

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radagast_the_brown's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

I am late to reading this book, but I intentionally took my time getting to it: everything I knew about Chanel throughout the trial being publicized let me know that she was like a jie jie 姐姐 that I had yet to meet. Her family was from here in the Bay Area, but she studied English at UCSB. Our overlapping year at school was the year Elliot Rodger killed students in Isla Vista, the night my roommates and I huddled in the dark living room around one of our laptops, watching his chilling manifesto video before it was taken down. She liked experimenting with art, she has a soft spot for senior dogs, she found printmaking during one of her darkest times.

I do not cry because I could have been in her place; I cry because so many before and after her have been in similar places and simply because she is a person. But deeper still, our parallel lines weaving their way forward (mine just 3 years behind) are so close to one another and finally, I think I was ready to read my hypothetical oldest sister's story. I can't wait to see what beautiful art and unflinching honesty she brings to her future work.

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ohyeah_karyn's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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lunar_witch's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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estanis's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

A hard but must read. Chanel is a brilliant writer.

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questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is probably the best memoir I've ever read. I'd seen almost universally positive reviews but Chanel Miller's writing still blew me away with how beautiful it was. I rarely highlight books but I couldn't resist it here because her observations and descriptions were gorgeous. I particularly loved how she often included little details of her daily life which really grounded her story and drew me in.
Miller writes about her experience with such grace and strength, as well as the rage you'd expect. It's such an important book and it made me absolutely furious at the justice system. I remember reading Miller's victim impact statement when it was released and her book has the same power. I'd put off reading it because I knew it would be challenging but I'm so glad I did finally pick it up. She doesn't shy away from the realities of dealing with trauma and depression but it's also hopeful and much funnier than I was expecting. I've been following her on Instagram for a long time and really enjoy her illustrations and am so looking forward to seeing what she does next.

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