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A review by abbie_
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Incredible. Annoyed at myself for taking so long to read it, but a timeless memoir that will (sadly) resonate for years to come.
I've rarely felt such visceral rage when reading a book, and listening to Chanel read it herself made it all the more powerful. It'd be 5am and I'm walking the dog, either on the edge of tears or ready to fight. I already know how difficult the justice systems in both the US and UK make it for victims of sexual assault to tell their stories and be believed. Having Chanel lay the entire process bare just hammered that knowledge home even further. It's rage-inducing, heartbreaking.
No doubt that most infuriating part of everything was how most of the time during the trial, it felt like Chanel was the one ON trial. They questioned her every action, word, decision endlessly, attempting to pin the blame on everything and everyone EXCEPT the man who found an unconscious woman and decided to insert a part of himself into her. For him to then go on and try to gaslight everyone into thinking Chanel wanted it... It's too much to bear.
As the trial progresses, Chanel's rapist is allowed to present character witnesses from back in school, all of them willing to help paint a rounded picture of this man who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman. Jurors were encouraged to see him as more than those 20 minutes. Meanwhile, Chanel is reduced to nothing BUT those 20 minutes, and the few decisions she made beforehand.
Her writing is absolutely gorgeous, offering up the most insightful analogies and metaphors, some of them were so perfect it made me gasp. Her emotions pour unfettered onto the page, all of her rage and fear and sadness and frustration. We feel every drop of it all along with her.
If you've been sleeping on this one, please pick it up. For any sexual assault survivors, please take care of yourselves if you do choose to read it.
'My pain was never more valuable than his potential.'
I've rarely felt such visceral rage when reading a book, and listening to Chanel read it herself made it all the more powerful. It'd be 5am and I'm walking the dog, either on the edge of tears or ready to fight. I already know how difficult the justice systems in both the US and UK make it for victims of sexual assault to tell their stories and be believed. Having Chanel lay the entire process bare just hammered that knowledge home even further. It's rage-inducing, heartbreaking.
No doubt that most infuriating part of everything was how most of the time during the trial, it felt like Chanel was the one ON trial. They questioned her every action, word, decision endlessly, attempting to pin the blame on everything and everyone EXCEPT the man who found an unconscious woman and decided to insert a part of himself into her. For him to then go on and try to gaslight everyone into thinking Chanel wanted it... It's too much to bear.
As the trial progresses, Chanel's rapist is allowed to present character witnesses from back in school, all of them willing to help paint a rounded picture of this man who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman. Jurors were encouraged to see him as more than those 20 minutes. Meanwhile, Chanel is reduced to nothing BUT those 20 minutes, and the few decisions she made beforehand.
Her writing is absolutely gorgeous, offering up the most insightful analogies and metaphors, some of them were so perfect it made me gasp. Her emotions pour unfettered onto the page, all of her rage and fear and sadness and frustration. We feel every drop of it all along with her.
If you've been sleeping on this one, please pick it up. For any sexual assault survivors, please take care of yourselves if you do choose to read it.
'My pain was never more valuable than his potential.'