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A review by cko
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
This is one of the most important books I read in 2020 and one of the hardest to get through. This book is shattering. The last fourth of the book felt a little stale, the content feeling a little redundant, but overall her prose was gorgeous.
I am so, so grateful to Chanel for being a writer and reflective thinker. I have heard before that the trial process is re-traumatizing. I’ve learned not to victim blame. I remember watching Elliot Rodger’s video after his shooting spree in Isla Vista and sobbing— horrified, afraid, angry. This book taught me again the pain that our justice system inflicts on survivors. The way the defense lawyers taught her to question everything she does. She wove together traumatizing, devastating events that have touched her life, showing patterns of violence and harm and the ways our systems of support are lacking, advocating for greater mental health resources.
It was stunning to me the way she was able to identify physical feelings in her recollections, how her throat tightened, or her head pounded. I’ve started to notice these details in myself now, too. Her humor, creativity, and value in joyful details balances the heavy material. The conversation with her mother, where she says you never know how things will turn out, will stay with me for a long time.
I am so, so grateful to Chanel for being a writer and reflective thinker. I have heard before that the trial process is re-traumatizing. I’ve learned not to victim blame. I remember watching Elliot Rodger’s video after his shooting spree in Isla Vista and sobbing— horrified, afraid, angry. This book taught me again the pain that our justice system inflicts on survivors. The way the defense lawyers taught her to question everything she does. She wove together traumatizing, devastating events that have touched her life, showing patterns of violence and harm and the ways our systems of support are lacking, advocating for greater mental health resources.
It was stunning to me the way she was able to identify physical feelings in her recollections, how her throat tightened, or her head pounded. I’ve started to notice these details in myself now, too. Her humor, creativity, and value in joyful details balances the heavy material. The conversation with her mother, where she says you never know how things will turn out, will stay with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, Suicide, Medical content, Hate crime, and Gun violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Panic attacks/disorders