Know My Name by Chanel Miller is a powerful, moving memoir. An in depth, raw account of Miller’s experience as a victim of sexual assault and following the People v. Turner court case, Know My Name approaches sexual assault with complete vulnerability. Her words are gripping, honest, and poetic, providing not only a reflection of her journey—the humiliation of the aftermath, the invasiveness of the trial—but also a look into her state of mind after being assaulted and finding solace. Miller touches upon the US legal system and its failure to defend the victims and punishing predators. I will forewarn that Miller provides a detailed depiction of sexual assault.
This gut-wrenching story is a must read for everyone, but especially us young people. As we move onto college, I urge people to read this with an open mind and take her experience into account. So often statistics of sexual assault dehumanize the victims as a single statistic, adding to this worsening epidemic and dismissing the intricate, lasting struggles associated with it.
I first learned about the Brock Turner case in Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking with Strangers. In it, he wrote that “the People vs. Brock Turner is a case about alcohol”. However, this flawed argument, one so commonly heard in our society, fails to account for nuance. This is what Know My Name tries to combat. Each chapter of Miller’s honest testimony strives to tell the world that even “broken things” can be made whole again.
Everyone should know Chanel Miller’s story beyond her original name of Jane Doe.