A review by figsx
Know My Name by Chanel Miller

5.0

Like many others that have reviewed this memoir, I was moved and I was impacted. Chanel's writing and her narration of the night of January 17-18, 2015 and those that followed, were raw and unfiltered. SA and rape are such tough topics to talk about and to even think about, but they are necessary. Stories like Chanel's are prevalent and needed because her courageousness and her words may or may not help other survivors and victims speak out. I knew about the case, as I was only 18 when the story broke, and had so much hatred for the system and for the rapist. But I had stomach pains far worse caused by the comments many were leaving under articles trying to shift the blame onto Chanel, who was then identified as Emily Doe. Because why was her drinking that night an issue? Why is it ever an issue of what the victim was wearing or the fact that a victim was intoxicated? At the time when this broke, I was also drinking (yes underage, but it was my senior year) and all I could fathom was "If I drank at one of our parties and this occurred, would everyone around me blame my drinking and not the rapist?". Chanel makes a great point, as a victim she was made to question if she even knew herself and made to separate Chanel from Emily, even though both were her and she deserved the justice, she was and is worth the justice. I hate reading books that don't have a happy ending, the real world is harsh enough, but I came into this reading knowing I was going to have stomach pains from the anger that would ensue. But I have to give Chanel a big thank you for making this memoir about the hopes in life and the worth that every person can hold. I have tabbed many pages in this memoir for the future days that come and when I need courageous words.