A review by 1moodreader
Know My Name by Chanel Miller

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There are ugly realities we shy away from. Some truths are too hard to bear, process, think about, solve, talk about, and write about. The only way we can cope is by ignoring reality. When we do this, we hurt ourselves and others. Sometimes, we need to do more. We need to be better. This book was like a dive headfirst into a pool in the middle of winter. I knew what this book was going to be about and supported her even as Emily Doe. It is still hard to process that everyday people are sexually abused, hurt, defiled, broken. I hate that this is even a thing; I hate that it's normalized. I hate that victims can't feel safe confronting their attacker. This hate turns into anger and then into sadness, which is when we start distracting ourselves. Because this anger, this hate, can eat us up and leave us as a smoking shell of a person. It took me 18 days to finish this book, and I am glad that I did. For anyone in a similar place as Chanel/Emily, I want to know how to help and comfort and support. Victims, survivors are never alone, even when they feel like it. I and so many others want to be there for them. This book has to be a must-read for everyone, especially for anyone involved in the legal system. 

Chanel Miller's story deserves to be heard and is one of the most honest and truthful accounts of sexual assault survivors' journey in and out of the courtroom. It took me 18 days to finish because I would become depressed, shaken, angry, upset at everything she was going through. She writes in a way that makes me feel her pain; every attack and question goes straight to my core. Read this book; you'll learn so much. 

Look at trigger warnings. 

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