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A review by averyslibrary
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
typically i’m hesitant to rate memoirs, it’s not my place to grade someone else’s story. but even if i’m just looking at chanel’s writing quality, this book is 5 stars. her writing is poetic, unapologetic, powerful, and courageous. “know my name” is one of the best books i’ve ever read, no matter the genre.
chanel gives us an inside view of her own personal journey while also showing us how the court system fails victims. i’ve never judged when people decide not to pursue criminal charges, but after reading this book it’s hard to see why anyone had ever decided to do so. her life was in stasis for years while she had to not only prove beyond a reasonable doubt what happened, but also that her life was just as important as his. the american court system has been failing us for years.
this is one of the most powerfully difficult books i’ve ever read, chanel did a wonderful job. everyone, everyone, EVERYONE should read this at least once. she pulls no punches to make it more palatable for others, she delivers it with unapologetic candor.
i’ll leave you with some of my favorite quotes:
“my pain was never more powerful than his potential.”
“they seemed angry that i'd made myself vulnerable, more than the fact that he'd acted on my vulnerability.”
“i am a victim, i have no qualms with this word, only with the idea that it is all that
i am.”
“but living is an incredible thing, just to have been here, to have felt, if only briefly, the volume and depth of others' empathy. i wrote, most of all, to tell you i have seen how good the world can be.”
thank you chanel, for sharing your story.
chanel gives us an inside view of her own personal journey while also showing us how the court system fails victims. i’ve never judged when people decide not to pursue criminal charges, but after reading this book it’s hard to see why anyone had ever decided to do so. her life was in stasis for years while she had to not only prove beyond a reasonable doubt what happened, but also that her life was just as important as his. the american court system has been failing us for years.
this is one of the most powerfully difficult books i’ve ever read, chanel did a wonderful job. everyone, everyone, EVERYONE should read this at least once. she pulls no punches to make it more palatable for others, she delivers it with unapologetic candor.
i’ll leave you with some of my favorite quotes:
“my pain was never more powerful than his potential.”
“they seemed angry that i'd made myself vulnerable, more than the fact that he'd acted on my vulnerability.”
“i am a victim, i have no qualms with this word, only with the idea that it is all that
i am.”
“but living is an incredible thing, just to have been here, to have felt, if only briefly, the volume and depth of others' empathy. i wrote, most of all, to tell you i have seen how good the world can be.”
thank you chanel, for sharing your story.