Book 71 of my 2020 Reading Challenge
read from October 17 - November 14
Know My Name
by Chanel Miller
Summary (via Goodreads)
published 2019
She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford's campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral--viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time.
Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways--there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.
Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways--there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.
My Opinion
5 stars
The book was very engaging and the author was matter-of-fact but not detached. The people who don't need this message will read this and empathize and the ones who would benefit from reading this won't even pick it up.
I'm not sure if a man reading this would get the undertones that naturally appeared to me. There were little points that stuck with me, such as it being helpful that she had a boyfriend when trying to explain that she didn't consent. Also, the point about this egregious outcome actually being the best-case scenario is disgusting: the situation wasn't ambiguous, she had family support, she had the ability to take time off of work for all the court stuff, etc.
I had to take time off reading this because the election results were happening and the misogyny was overwhelming.
Quote from the Book
"The judge had given Brock something that would never be extended to me: empathy. My pain was never more valuable than his potential."
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