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alyshadeshae 's review for:
Know My Name
by Chanel Miller
2019.09.25
I've calmed down a bit since I wrote my very short letter/review to Chanel last night. I'm still raw and emotional, though, but I feel that I managed to type up something a little more like a review.
But how do you review a book like this? "I liked the part where she talked about how painful everything is." What? Really?! Like, it's all painful! And you liked it? Geez, okay. ... See? It's hard. It's especially hard when you know exactly how hard it is to come forward with something like this. It's even harder when you realize that you don't know how hard it was to live through her experience because maybe you weren't as brave as she was.
So, below is my attempt at a proper review. I'm leaving my letter at the bottom because maybe Chanel will read it. Maybe it will bring her a smile to know that she helped just one more person. Maybe, just maybe, it will help her. She talks about the internet comments she would read during the trial and then about the comments she saw when her victim statement was published. Maybe she's still reading the comments. And if so, Chanel, again, thank you.
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So everyone remembers #StanfordRapistBrockTurner, right? And how the victim was often just "unconscious woman" or Emily Doe because she wanted to remain anonymous?
The woman he attacked is no longer anonymous. Her name is Chanel Miller. She is a badass survivor and a personal hero of mine. Chanel has also written a book about the entire experience.
The book is painful, raw, heartbreaking, and hard to read. I cried through the majority of it. I broke down completely through the last third of the book. Ugly crying. Sobbing. Screaming. I had a panic attack.
Some survivors may want to avoid this book. But so many more will, I believe, feel empowered by Chanel's words. Reading her account of everything (from the day of the party through her attacker's release from jail through the aftermath of it all) is cathartic, in a way. Chanel definitely describes every aspect of everything she can. There are graphic details in this book. They are painful and ugly and hard to hear. They are what Chanel deals with daily. They are what other survivors deal with every second of their lives.
I firmly believe that if you think you're the kind of person who doesn't need to read this book that you're the kind of person who needs to read it the most.
If you care about victims' and women's rights, you need to read this book. Chanel Miller used the fuck out of her voice and it's the best thing I've seen in a while.
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2019.09.24
To Chanel Miller:
I cannot properly review your book at the moment. It's powerful. It's brutal. It's necessary. It's hard. It's raw. But you know all this. You must know this. Your writing is perfect. Your own voice is brilliant.
I ugly cried and loudly sobbed through the last third of your book. It hurt. It ripped open old wounds and triggered a panic attack at one point. There is so much that I can't bring myself talk about, but your words helped. Thank you. Just, thank you.
I've calmed down a bit since I wrote my very short letter/review to Chanel last night. I'm still raw and emotional, though, but I feel that I managed to type up something a little more like a review.
But how do you review a book like this? "I liked the part where she talked about how painful everything is." What? Really?! Like, it's all painful! And you liked it? Geez, okay. ... See? It's hard. It's especially hard when you know exactly how hard it is to come forward with something like this. It's even harder when you realize that you don't know how hard it was to live through her experience because maybe you weren't as brave as she was.
So, below is my attempt at a proper review. I'm leaving my letter at the bottom because maybe Chanel will read it. Maybe it will bring her a smile to know that she helped just one more person. Maybe, just maybe, it will help her. She talks about the internet comments she would read during the trial and then about the comments she saw when her victim statement was published. Maybe she's still reading the comments. And if so, Chanel, again, thank you.
-----
So everyone remembers #StanfordRapistBrockTurner, right? And how the victim was often just "unconscious woman" or Emily Doe because she wanted to remain anonymous?
The woman he attacked is no longer anonymous. Her name is Chanel Miller. She is a badass survivor and a personal hero of mine. Chanel has also written a book about the entire experience.
The book is painful, raw, heartbreaking, and hard to read. I cried through the majority of it. I broke down completely through the last third of the book. Ugly crying. Sobbing. Screaming. I had a panic attack.
Some survivors may want to avoid this book. But so many more will, I believe, feel empowered by Chanel's words. Reading her account of everything (from the day of the party through her attacker's release from jail through the aftermath of it all) is cathartic, in a way. Chanel definitely describes every aspect of everything she can. There are graphic details in this book. They are painful and ugly and hard to hear. They are what Chanel deals with daily. They are what other survivors deal with every second of their lives.
I firmly believe that if you think you're the kind of person who doesn't need to read this book that you're the kind of person who needs to read it the most.
If you care about victims' and women's rights, you need to read this book. Chanel Miller used the fuck out of her voice and it's the best thing I've seen in a while.
-----
2019.09.24
To Chanel Miller:
I cannot properly review your book at the moment. It's powerful. It's brutal. It's necessary. It's hard. It's raw. But you know all this. You must know this. Your writing is perfect. Your own voice is brilliant.
I ugly cried and loudly sobbed through the last third of your book. It hurt. It ripped open old wounds and triggered a panic attack at one point. There is so much that I can't bring myself talk about, but your words helped. Thank you. Just, thank you.