Chanel Miller. You might not know her name, but you know her story. Identified only as “Emily Doe”- her Victim Impact Statement has been viewed over 18 million times, translated worldwide, read, and referenced on news stations and the halls of government. In her beautiful and heartbreaking memoir, Know My Name, Miller comes forward for the first time as the sexual assault victim of Brock Turner to tell her story under her own name. This 2019 National Book Critics Circle Award Winner shines with a cover of striking teal laced with cracks of gold, reminiscent of the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi– an act of giving new and beautiful life to what was once broken.
In 2015, Chanel Miller woke up in a hospital bed. Standing over her was a Stanford Dean and a Police Officer- they told her she was found passed out with a man looming over her at a party the night before. Still confused and groggy, Chanel was probed, examined, photographed, and asked if she wanted to press charges without telling her what for. Trying to be helpful… Chanel agreed. What followed was over a year of protracted trial dates and a bloodthirsty media waiting to tear her apart. Her assailant found guilty on all three felony counts of sexual assault, only served three months in county jail. Any longer, and the judge worried that it could affect the “bright future” in store for the ambitious swimmer Brock Turner. Basing the sentencing on a theoretical future and disregarding the real harm he caused to another person with a future of her own.
The case of The People V. Brock Allen Turner sent shockwaves across the United States and college campuses. Pushback from the sentencing led to California enacting laws to expand protections for victims, the people prevailing where the system had not. Through Know My Name, we see the fallout Chanel experiences from agreeing to pursue the case. Feelings of total isolation, threats of violence, and the loss of dignity were thrust upon her by a system crafted against survivors. But her story is also about the love and hope she found in her family, this new community of survivors, and the people working for change.
“They seemed angry that I’d made myself vulnerable, more than the fact that he’d acted on my vulnerability.”
― Chanel Miller
Luckily, Miller’s story does not begin or end with Brock Turner’s actions that night. She is a daughter, an older sister, and a friend. She is an artist and a writer. She is a young woman in the 21st century. Miller’s story of going through the trial process is fascinating and heartbreaking. She was constantly afraid of saying the wrong thing, being too emotional, or not emotional enough. Her empathy and fear for Turner’s mental state are regarded as actions of passivity. As a survivor, Miller was especially vulnerable; as a young half-Chinese woman with no legal experience, she was taken advantage of by the systems of power. But the people fought back. Book Club Groups who were fans of memoirs like Educated and The Glass Castle can discuss the changing tide of how we react to and define violence towards women and how this novel gives a voice to millions of voiceless people. In Know My Name, Miller is smart, funny, and most of all, human. Holding a BA in Literature, Miller has been surrounded her whole life by incredibly intelligent women writers, and it shines in her own writing. Today, she continues to write and create art with her critically acclaimed 2024 Middle-Grade Fiction Book, Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All.
More from Chanel Miller:
- Short film: “I Am With You”
- 60 Minutes: “Chanel Miller’s Story“
- Chanel’s Victim Impact Statement (also printed in the book)
If you’re interested in requesting Know My Name or your book club, you can find the Request Form here. There are 8 copies. (A librarian must request items)
Miller, Chanel. Know My Name. Penguin Random House. 2019
