Know My Name is perhaps one of the most significant memoirs of the 21st century. It is a book that demands to be heard, offering a masterclass in reclaiming a narrative that the world tried to simplify.
Know My Name for its extraordinary writing and transformative power. While the subject matter is heavy, Chanel Miller is a writer of such immense talent that she turns her pain into “golden sentences.” If you have ever felt frustrated by a system that prioritizes a perpetrator’s “potential” over a victim’s humanity, this book will give you the language to understand why. It is not just a book about a crime; it is a coming-of-age story about a woman finding her voice and, in doing so, changing the laws of her country.
- Chanel Miller
- Memoir
- Rich
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For years, the world knew her only as “Emily Doe,” the anonymous victim in the Stanford sexual assault case. Her victim impact statement had already gone viral, read by millions and shared on the floor of Congress. In this memoir, Chanel Miller reveals her identity and reclaims her story.
The book moves through three distinct phases:
The Event and Aftermath: Waking up in a hospital with no memory of the night before and slowly piecing together her own assault through news headlines.
The Trial: A grueling, years-long journey through a legal system that felt designed to break her, where she had to defend her character while her attacker’s “bright future” was used as a shield.
Reclamation: Her path toward healing, finding her identity as an artist and a writer, and the eventual decision to stand in the light and say her own name.
⭐ Reviews
The New York Times Book Review:“A blistering, beautifully written account… Miller—the sexual assault survivor in the Stanford case—reclaims her name and her story. It is a testament to the power of words.”
The Guardian:
“To tell her story at all is enough… the fact that Miller tells it beautifully, caring enough for her reader to spin golden sentences from her pain, is a gift on top of a gift.”
🎙️ Audible Note
This is a particularly special recommendation for an audiobook lover. Chanel Miller narrates the book herself. Hearing her voice—the same voice that was silenced for so long—is an incredibly intimate and powerful experience. Much like Trevor Noah or Michelle Obama, her delivery brings a level of emotional truth that a professional narrator simply couldn’t replicate.