bdilley28's review against another edition
5.0
Favorite Quote: "It is not a question of if you will survive this, but what beautiful things await you when you do."
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
karyan1's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Alcohol, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Gaslighting, and Suicide attempt
jojo_'s review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Self harm, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Police brutality, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mass/school shootings, Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Homophobia
thayerbowen's review against another edition
Graphic: Misogyny, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child death, Gaslighting, Grief, Self harm, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
dr_aimz's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Mental illness, and Medical content
Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings
izzyf16's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mass/school shootings
riona_y's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Classism, Gaslighting, Rape, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
Minor: Gun violence
bookishpip's review against another edition
5.0
A few years ago, the Stanford sexual assault case went viral; one of the reasons for this was the public release of her searingly honest victim impact statement. To protect her anonymity, she was known as Emily Doe - and in this book, she finally speaks out about her experiences, attributing her name and removing her anonymity. Miller’s impact statement was felt deeply by many, many people - and I believe that this book can, in a deeper way, similarly inspire hope in its truth.
Miller recounts her life growing up near the university and her experience of the blackout in which the assault happened. She also explains her experiences of the law and of dealing with legal proceedings in court - as well as how it felt to watch the case be reported in the media and go viral. It tackles head on some incredibly important topics such as consent, alcohol and accountability, perceptions and judgements of people on social media, class and gender privilege, and the balancing act between retribution and reform as aims of punishment.
What I found most inspiring of all is the refreshing honesty with which Miller’s words resonate. The use of metaphor and analogy to explain different feelings and processes related to various stages of trauma and recovery felt absolutely accurate. The way that she shared her journey - warts and all, without sanitising the pain and anger she experienced - was a real testament to her character. Even after having been through such a gruelling process, she used the experience as an opportunity to reach out in solidarity with fellow victims and make positive changes to the way in which cases like this are dealt with.
Overall, I believe that this is one of those books that anyone should read if they are looking to educate themselves on some of the aforementioned topics. Do beware of trigger warnings though - it doesn’t hold back.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Rape, Suicide attempt, and Sexual violence
kianga_black's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Murder, Genocide, Medical content, Misogyny, Suicide, Alcohol, Child death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical content, Blood, Cursing, Eating disorder, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Death, Grief, Alcohol, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, and Panic attacks/disorders
emmiremmidemmi's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide