The last third of the book suffers from a lack of cogency as Chanel Miller can be quite rambling at times. Still, this does not detract from the power of the book, helping us to understand the turmoil that sexual abuse victims go through. The courage of Miller must be applauded. She must know that when she tells her story, there will be people questioning her culpability but she still decided to do so. Thank you. ( )

This story is so insanely powerful. There is nothing I can say that puts into words who deep and hard this narrative hit me in my soul. Emily Doe's victim impact speech continues to be such an impactful, meaningful, and powerful piece of writing that continues to sit with me every day. There is simply nothing I can say that conveys all of my feelings. You must read. ( )

An absolute MUST READ. ( )

Thank you. Thank you for being a voice for us. Sharing the hardest parts, all of it. Thank you for allowing others to slip on our shoes and see what it’s like to go through the emotions, the holds of time, the haunts. Thank you for your bravery and your strength for change.

I wish I could give a 500 star review. Incredibly poignant and important book. I learned so much about the pain of existing as a victim and how we mistreat women. I am so proud of Chanel and privileged to experience her journey alongside her. ( )

So powerful. Chanel Miller writes a brutally honest account of her rape and its aftermath. She shows us the invasiveness of documenting her injuries. The unfeeling court process where her victimhood was judged as harshly, if not more so, as the crime. She shows us so tragically about the impact on herself, and on those who love her. I thank her for finding the courage to pursue justice and to write this book.

Everyone should read her Victim Impact Statement. I would make it required reading in high schools.

As I read the reviews posted below, I wonder how many men have read/will read this book. Ideally men would and thus develop a deeper understanding of life as a woman subjected to sexual violence. Am I asking for the impossible? ( )

A powerful memoir, that makes you think of the web of people behind the headline. This reads like listening to a friend's story, and sadly you likely have one who could tell one all to similar. ( )

"When a woman is assaulted, one of the first questions people ask is, Did you say no? This question assumes that the answer is always yes, and that it is her job to revoke the agreement… But why are they allowed to touch us until we physically fight them off?" p 83

Miller recounts being sexually assaulted and all of the aftermath. This isn't an easy read. It's quite graphic. But it's important. I hope that people will learn from her experiences.

I was especially appalled that no one took the time to explain to her what had happened regarding the assault, or what the legal/court process was going to look like. It was awful to hear that her rapist received a ridiculously light sentence. I was relieved to hear that there was backlash about that, and some changes came about.

There was a lot of profanity; though, given the context, it didn't really bother me.

I really liked Miller's writing style overall, but by the end of the book, I was wishing she had used more semicolons in places where she'd only used commas.

The book was a tad too long for me, and I didn't agree with everything the author said, but I definitely believe this is a worthwhile read. ( )

I didn't know if I could read this book. It was difficult. It was gut-wrenching and infuriating.

It was also hopeful and beautiful.


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I don’t even know what to say about this book. It was so harrowing, and real and brutal. It made trauma tangible and like something that can’t be alien anymore. More people need to read this, read her victim impact statement and understand that 1 in 5 is real. ( )

A gut-wrenching, timely, f*cking beautiful memoir. A new fierce icon. ♥️

“When I listened to her, I understood: You have to hold out to see how your life unfolds, because it is most likely to be beyond what you can imagine. It is not a question of if you will survive this, but what beautiful things await you when you do.”

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

I just feel grateful and honored that Chanel Miller chose to share this book with us. The story is important, of course (and obviously heavy), but her writing is superb also. ( )

En este libro hay pocas estadisticas y ninguna entrevista, esto no es un trabajo periodistico sino que es la reproduccion de los hechos y sus consecuencias por una mujer que fue agredida sexualmente.

Lo que mas me ha llamado la atencion es la capacidad de expresar su estado emocional a lo largo de todo este proceso, al igual que su capacidad de explicar su personalidad o la de otras personas.

Creo que la autora tiene talento para escribir historias y en este caso tenia una historia muy importante que contar lo que hace de esto una lectura poderosa. ( )

Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Content warning for graphic depictions of sexual assault

This book is amazing, and I wish it didn't exist. It makes me angry and sad and furious. It makes me scream in injustice and break down in tears.

As women we carry around the possibility of sexual assault our whole lives. We are shown time and again that the world is not safe for us. Every woman has a story about a guy on the street, or in a club, or at work. A boyfriend who got too handsy, a stranger invading our space. And for many it's not a possibility but a reality.

Chanel Miller speaks about her own reality with startling honesty and compassionate detail about the horror and humiliation of what happened to her. She speaks about her life before Brock Turner assaulted her unconscious body outside of a Stanford frat party. She speaks about waking up in the hospital not knowing what had happened. No one really explaining why she was there. One officer saying they thought she might have been assaulted but it could turn out to be nothing.

It was not nothing.

This book was always going to be important but what makes it stand out is how skilled Chanel is as a writer. How in the midst of a book about sexual assault she places her own story in the centre. She is not just a body. She is not just a victim. She is a protective big sister, a funny stand up, an artist, a foster mom to aging dogs, she is so many more things that got lost or ignored in the wake of her assault when she became Brock Turner's victim, Brock Turner's accuser not a person in her own right but only how she relates to him and his actions. His future.

Over the course of the book, she becomes an advocate. First for herself and then for other survivors. I listened to this on audiobook and at fifteen hours it is long. Chanel has a slow way of talking that draws out the content longer than another narrator might have but to hear her own words in her own voice was an important and brave decision.

A book I would recommend everyone to read. ( )

Chanel Miller has written an eloquent and raw and brutally honest account of what it is like to be raped and press charges against the assailant. I won't presume to recount her words - I really think every single person should read this for themselves. I wish I'd read it earlier.

If you don't want to prioritize reading the book, at least read the victim statement that Chanel Miller read in court.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiejmbaker/heres-the-powerful-letter-the-.... ( )

Powerful. Gut wrenching. ( )

Chanel Miller is the woman that Brock Turner raped behind a dumpster while she was unconscious. The case sparked a national outcry when Turner was sentenced to just six months in the county jail. Chanel’s eloquent victim statement went viral, eventually leading to the recall of the judge that presided over the case.

Chanel reads the audiobook herself, which made listening to it just that much more heartbreaking and personal. Before I started, I wondered how she could get a whole book out of what happened – I was thinking there would maybe be enough material for a long magazine article. Boy, was I wrong. I was truly stunned by the amount of time she had to take out of her life to prepare for trial. It took over three years. During that time, she was also dealing with the trauma of the rape itself. There was no way she could hold down a job. I found myself wondering how any victim carries through with a rape trial – it takes a lot of time and energy.

One thing that surprised me was that Chanel became an amateur stand-up comedian as part of her healing journey. I looked for a clip online but I couldn’t find one – I’m really interested in seeing her act. I wonder if she’s still performing. I did watch a clip of her being interviewed by Trevor Noah on The Daily Show and was impressed with her sense of humor.

Chanel does a great job of pointing out how prevalent rape culture is. For instance, the focus of most “unbiased” news articles was on how Turner’s life would be impacted and wasn’t it a shame. Very little was about the impact on Chanel’s life. And Turner’s father said something like, “Brock shouldn’t be punished for the rest of his life for 20 minutes.” That made my stomach turn. No wonder Turner was so entitled as to think he could have his way with someone just because she was passed out.

Know My Name is an unflinchingly honest, important memoir. Highly recommended. ( )

I really need to stop reading sexual assault memoirs.....but I still do.

The Brock Turner case totally fascinated me back in 2015. I remember thinking it was a miscarriage of justice that Brock only received a three month sentence. I remember discussing how "no means no" and how consent is VITAL. And regardless of whether or not an individual has put themselves in a compromising position, that still does not mean someone can take advantage of another.

Chanel is Emily Doe, the woman Brock Turner assaulted and digitally penetrated. She shares her story. She shares how much that one night changed her, her family, and her life. She shares her battles with PTSD, her depression, her struggles with the justice system.

I was reminder of one thing while reading this book. And Law and Order SVU talks about this all the time: we need to overhaul our rape kit systems. We cannot leave those sitting and not bring heinous individuals to justice. Victims deserve so much more. And while Chanel wants us to "know her name", she more is all about "hear my voice!" ( )

Five stars, way too relatable. This is what it is to be a woman. Chanel is a fantastic writer. ( )

This was a truly remarkable memoir, unflinching and phenomenal. Miller is an incredible writer and her story, though harrowing and incredibly frustrating, managed to remain hopeful. Her life was changed forever, not only by the assault itself but by the exhausting and often disempowering legal system in the United States. Yet, through all of this, Miller manages to expertly pace her story with warmth and moments of hope and incredible strength. I hope Miller continues writing, because she is clearly extremely skilled and talented.

It's also worth noting that I listened to this on audiobook, narrated by the author, which is truly powerful and poignant. It's an extra step of Miller reclaiming her voice after undergoing a process in which it was largely stripped away. ( )

This book is a hard one to review in many ways. You feel almost like anyone who has the courage to write about an experience like this deserves 5 stars just for the attempt. It's so personal. If you are trying to decide whether or not to read it, I will point out that my reading friends collectively rated it a 4.8.

For me, the writing itself was the highlight. Chanel Miller is a very creative and poetic writer. Her descriptions are fresh and interesting. She comes up with great metaphors, and I think there's a power to her writing. I hope she embarks on a writing career that includes fiction because she is very talented.

However, the book really lacked suspense, and as a result it took me forever to read. Now, maybe the story felt anti climatic because I read so much about this case in the news media. Regardless, I never felt like picking it up, and I never felt compelled to read more than 10 minutes at a time.

Miller does show the many issues victims face when they press charges, and I feel she was extraordinarily fortunate to have had the two cyclists come upon the scene when they did . . .not only interrupting the crime in process, but acting as credible witnesses.

The final chapters where she compares her case to those pressed by others, I felt was a digression that didn't serve the book very well, and I think it would have ended on a better note at the point where she describes the very moving and powerful reaction to her victim statement.



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Obviously incredibly powerful, very well written, and really demonstrates what a screwed up society we have. I did feel like to an extent though I didn't need to be convinced of the points that it hammered in over and over again and I found myself skimming some parts. ( )

Book 1 for Goodreads NZ Readathon

A powerful and emotional read. ( )

I don't really have words that would do the book justice. Reading this was so painful and so necessary. I went into it expecting to have some mental breakdowns but the entire thing gave me strength, instead. I don't know what to say other than every single person in the world should read this. ( )

It is not fair to this brilliant author that I cannot give a fifth star, ONLY because I do not usually read books with a disturbing subject like a rape victim disenfranchised by our social, cultural, economic, and court system. Chanel is so cool and makes this uncomfortable topic readable. Her gift is communicating her experience authentically. You walk the timeline of her attack, pretrial, and trial with no injected drama, but zero holding back on her story. She includes effects and experiences of her friends and family with vulnerability as they walk the walk. Her own mental and life survival strains and how her people must support her in her bubble of limbo are part of the shared anxieties. I listened to the audio version, and Chanel read it herself. Recommended. Her voice as an author shows her true literary gift. Her audio-reader voice immerses you in her story with a real life understanding and a validity of expression. I can painfully say I understand the victim experience more fully through the lens of Chanel's gifted communication. ( )