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A review by youngdumbandbooks
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
know my name instills hope. it breaches the repelling tenet of victim-blaming and rape culture in our society. it is home to people who were betrayed by the system. it is an amplifier of the voices of all survivors of sexual assault. it makes you chew over everything wrong with the societal framework of justice and dignity.
i have this theory that if i anticipate something bad, it will never happen. everyday, when i get out of my home i wonder, will this be the day? will this be the month? will this be the year? will this be the life? where i'll no longer have monopoly over my body. my father is a police officer....you could say that he knows all the demons skulking in the corners. i've never gone to school alone; i've always gone to school in a school bus. he's scared. my mother is scared too. i spend hours in the trial room of a clothing store wondering if what i have chosen is too tight, too short, too...."distracting".
𝘔𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭. -𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳
reading know my name was frustrating at times. it evoked a string of why's in my mind. why! why was the rapist given concession for his crime! why is the system blind to what chanel has gone through!? why!? why is his swimming career more important than her dignity!? why?
but there were times when i marvelled at the strength of people, at the loved ones who stays with you till you see the light, at the resilience, the hunger to not let your loved ones go through the gravel, alone. i want you to read this book. i want you to know chanel miller. i want you to know what she's gone through. but before all that, i want you to know the girl would do anything for her loved ones, who draws and writes and loves.
i have this theory that if i anticipate something bad, it will never happen. everyday, when i get out of my home i wonder, will this be the day? will this be the month? will this be the year? will this be the life? where i'll no longer have monopoly over my body. my father is a police officer....you could say that he knows all the demons skulking in the corners. i've never gone to school alone; i've always gone to school in a school bus. he's scared. my mother is scared too. i spend hours in the trial room of a clothing store wondering if what i have chosen is too tight, too short, too...."distracting".
𝘔𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭. -𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳
reading know my name was frustrating at times. it evoked a string of why's in my mind. why! why was the rapist given concession for his crime! why is the system blind to what chanel has gone through!? why!? why is his swimming career more important than her dignity!? why?
but there were times when i marvelled at the strength of people, at the loved ones who stays with you till you see the light, at the resilience, the hunger to not let your loved ones go through the gravel, alone. i want you to read this book. i want you to know chanel miller. i want you to know what she's gone through. but before all that, i want you to know the girl would do anything for her loved ones, who draws and writes and loves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail