Review by pbraue13 - Know My Name

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pbraue13 's review for:

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

5.0

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“You cannot put a fire out by pouring silence on it.”

— Chanel Miller, Know My Name

In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Know My Name by Chanel Miller stands as an essential and courageous memoir—a story that demands to be heard, felt, and remembered. Miller, previously known to the public only as "Emily Doe" in the high-profile Stanford sexual assault case, reclaims her identity and her voice with profound grace and strength in this unforgettable book.

From the first page, Miller’s writing stuns. She is not only telling her story—she is writing art. Her prose is elegant, intelligent, and searingly honest, transforming trauma into literature. Her story doesn’t shy away from the pain, the rage, the confusion, or the long and lonely journey toward healing. Instead, she offers it all with an open hand, inviting the reader into her experience not to sensationalize, but to humanize.

Miller’s strength lies not just in what she endured, but in how she chose to respond: by using her words as weapons of truth and healing. Her witness statement, which went viral and was read aloud in Congress, is just one example of the clarity and compassion she brings to this memoir. In a world that too often silences survivors, Know My Name breaks through the noise with a resounding, necessary roar.

Reading this book is not always easy—but it’s not meant to be. It is a call to consciousness. For anyone who has experienced sexual violence, for anyone who loves someone who has, for those working in justice, education, or advocacy, Know My Name is a crucial read. It is a reminder that survivors are not statistics, not headlines, not court case numbers. They are people with names, voices, and stories that matter.

As Miller writes: “My pain was never more valuable than my humanity.”

Let this month be not only a time of awareness, but of listening. Start with this book. Let Chanel Miller’s story teach you what courage, vulnerability, and hope truly look like.

Content Warnings