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A review by bookish_wanderer
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
First of all, watch out for trigger warnings. This can be a tough read.
I'm actually not sure if I can to gather my thoughts well enough do this book justice. Let's try.
You might have heard of Chanel in the past but did not know her name. You knew her as the victim in a high-profile sexual assault case in the US, a victim of a "promising swimmer". Now Chanel wants to reclaim her identity and be known for the survivor she is, and oh so much more.
She's such a gifted writer, and the way she conveys her emotions, the anguish, the pain, and everything she and her family went through at the time is brilliantly done. It's raw, intimate and honest. It'll make you scream, cry and sometimes even laugh, as she also shares some lovely memories.
With this memoir we have the opportunity to see what can happen to survivors who try to get justice. It reminds us why so many assaults go unreported, under a system that favours attackers rather than protect their victims, and almost accepts that these acts are just an inevitable fact of life (especially on campus). Where if you're a promising jock or famous, rich white and male, you're often held at a different standard.
What does it say about our society, when people are angrier at a woman for "putting herself in that position" (BIG quotes here), rather than at the attacker for committing the crime? Where alcohol is a reason for leniency for the accused, but more of reason to blame the victim?
Where a promising career in sports is valued more than the sanctity of someone's body and dignity?
Seeing her strength while she fought through it all to come out where she is today is a message of hope, for all survivors out there.
I really recommend this memoir. It is powerful, and it is so important. There is still so much to change.
I'm actually not sure if I can to gather my thoughts well enough do this book justice. Let's try.
You might have heard of Chanel in the past but did not know her name. You knew her as the victim in a high-profile sexual assault case in the US, a victim of a "promising swimmer". Now Chanel wants to reclaim her identity and be known for the survivor she is, and oh so much more.
She's such a gifted writer, and the way she conveys her emotions, the anguish, the pain, and everything she and her family went through at the time is brilliantly done. It's raw, intimate and honest. It'll make you scream, cry and sometimes even laugh, as she also shares some lovely memories.
With this memoir we have the opportunity to see what can happen to survivors who try to get justice. It reminds us why so many assaults go unreported, under a system that favours attackers rather than protect their victims, and almost accepts that these acts are just an inevitable fact of life (especially on campus). Where if you're a promising jock or famous, rich white and male, you're often held at a different standard.
What does it say about our society, when people are angrier at a woman for "putting herself in that position" (BIG quotes here), rather than at the attacker for committing the crime? Where alcohol is a reason for leniency for the accused, but more of reason to blame the victim?
Where a promising career in sports is valued more than the sanctity of someone's body and dignity?
Seeing her strength while she fought through it all to come out where she is today is a message of hope, for all survivors out there.
I really recommend this memoir. It is powerful, and it is so important. There is still so much to change.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings