Know My Name: A Memoir

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Know My Name: A Memoir
Know My Name, A Memoir.png
First edition cover
Author Chanel Miller
Audio read byChanel Miller [1]
Cover artistJason Ramirez and Nayon Cho [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject People v. Turner
Genre Memoir
Publisher Viking Press
Publication date
September 24, 2019
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages368
ISBN 978-0-7352-2370-7
OCLC 1115007919

Know My Name: A Memoir is a 2019 memoir by American author Chanel Miller. In it, Miller writes about her experience being sexually assaulted by then Stanford University athlete Brock Turner in January 2015, as well as the aftermath and subsequent court case People v. Turner . [3]

Contents

Research and writing process

In September 2019, Chanel Miller revealed herself as being "Emily Doe" in the People v. Turner case and released her book with the title, Know My Name: A Memoir, on September 24, 2019. [4] [5] [6] She first began work on the book in 2017. [7] [8] [9] The book was an attempt by Miller to reappropriate her narrative identity and describe the trauma she went through, after being referred to in the press as "unconscious intoxicated woman". [4] [10] [11] The author discusses her experience of the assault and the trial, as well as how she has coped since then. [10] [12] [13] Through research for the work, Miller perused court transcripts and testimonies of individuals involved in the court proceedings—materials she had been unable to view throughout the trial of Brock Turner itself. [14] [15] [8]

Cover art

The cover art for the book was inspired by kintsugi , which is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with powdered gold, emphasizing the cracks rather than covering them up. [16]

Publication and sales

The book was initially published by Viking Books, through efforts by the publisher's editor-in-chief Andrea Schulz. [17] [18] [19] Schulz took quick action after being contacted by Miller's literary agent, Philippa Brophy. [19] Schulz worked to acquire the rights to the book because of Miller's writing skill and her compelling account. [20] [18] [19] The same month as the book's publication, Miller was interviewed on CBS News program 60 Minutes , where she read from her original victim impact statement. [13] [21] [22]

Know My Name debuted on The New York Times Best Seller list at number five, and also made number 14 on the USA Today Best-Selling Books list. [23] [24] The work additionally made the list of Best-Selling Books in The Wall Street Journal . [25]

Reception

The book received acclaim from critics. [26] Writing for The Guardian , Rebecca Liu wrote that Know My Name was "unapologetically large", calling Miller's presence "dazzling" and undiminishable. [3] Madison Feller of Elle magazine called it "both an open wound and a salve, a quiet cry and the loudest scream". [16]

U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who coordinated the June 2016 movement in Congress to openly read the text of Miller's victim statement into the United States House of Representatives, [27] called the book "a powerful example of how we can overcome adversity". [28] Stanford law professor Michele Dauber commented "When people read her book, they will be impressed with her. They will be convinced that Judge Persky and Stanford University behaved very badly." [29] [30] After Miller made the decision to go public with her real name, Stanford University released a statement: "We applaud Ms. Miller's bravery in talking publicly about the ordeal she has experienced and the horrible act that she suffered on our campus. As a university, we are continuing our efforts to prevent and respond effectively to sexual violence, with the ultimate goal of eradicating it from our community." [28]

The book was named one of the top ten books of 2019 by the Washington Post , [31] as well as a top ten book for the American Library Association's Rise: A Feminist Book Project in 2021. [32] It was nominated for Best Memoir & Autobiography at the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards, [33] and was the winner of the 2019 National Book Critics Circle Award (Autobiography). [34] The San Francisco Public Library selected the book for their 2021 One City One Book program. [35]

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References

  1. ↑ "Know My Name by Chanel Miller". Penguin Random House Audio . Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Liu, Rebecca (25 September 2019). "Know My Name by Chanel Miller review – memoir of a sexual assault". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  3. 1 2 Neary, Lynn (September 4, 2019), "Victim of Brock Turner sexual assault reveals her identity", Minnesota Public Radio , retrieved September 5, 2019
  4. ↑ "'Know My Name': Chanel Miller, Stanford sex assault victim formerly known as "Emily Doe," reveals her name", CBS News , CBS, September 4, 2019, retrieved September 4, 2019
  5. ↑ "Stanford sexual assault: Chanel Miller reads victim impact statement", BBC News , BBC, September 4, 2019, retrieved September 4, 2019
  6. ↑ Barbour, Shannon (September 4, 2019), "Chanel Miller, the Woman Sexually Assaulted by Ex–Stanford Swimmer Brock Turner, Reveals Her Identity", Cosmopolitan , retrieved September 4, 2019
  7. 1 2 "You Know Emily Doe's Story. Now Learn Her Name". New York Times. 4 Sep 2019.
  8. ↑ Lord, Craig (September 5, 2019), "'Know My Name – Chanel Miller': Brock Turner's Victim Reveals Her Name Ahead Of Memoir", Swimming World Magazine , retrieved September 5, 2019
  9. 1 2 Jones, Valerie (September 4, 2019), "Survivor in Stanford sexual assault case comes forward with name, memoir", Deseret News , retrieved September 5, 2019
  10. ↑ Steafel, Eleanor (September 5, 2019), "Victim of Stanford sex attacker Brock Turner bravely waives her anonymity", The Telegraph, retrieved September 5, 2019
  11. ↑ Feller, Madison (September 4, 2019), "Chanel Miller Comes Forward as 'Emily Doe' From the Brock Turner Sexual Assault Case", Elle , retrieved September 4, 2019
  12. 1 2 "Stanford sexual assault survivor identifies herself before release of memoir", The Guardian , September 4, 2019, retrieved September 5, 2019
  13. ↑ Feng, Lydia (September 5, 2019), "'You don't know me': Chanel Miller comes forward as victim in Brock Turner sexual assault case", SBS News, retrieved September 5, 2019
  14. ↑ Wood, Heloise (September 4, 2019), "'Emily Doe' reveals true identity ahead of memoir on Brock Turner assault", The Bookseller, retrieved September 5, 2019
  15. 1 2 Feller, Madison (24 September 2019). "We Knew Everything About the Worst Night of Her Life. Now, Chanel Miller Wants Us to Know Her Name". Elle. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  16. ↑ Ceron, Ella (September 4, 2019), "Her statement to her rapist went viral - now Chanel Miller is speaking out as herself", MTV.com, retrieved September 4, 2019
  17. 1 2 McNamara, Audrey (September 4, 2019), "Brock Turner's Victim Reveals Her Identity", The Daily Beast , retrieved September 4, 2019
  18. 1 2 3 "Know My Name: Stanford sexual assault victim reveals identity in new memoir", Irish Times , September 5, 2019, retrieved September 5, 2019
  19. ↑ Dowd, Katie (September 4, 2019), "'Emily Doe' in Brock Turner case steps forward, identifies herself as Chanel Miller", San Francisco Chronicle , retrieved September 4, 2019
  20. ↑ Hanlon, Greg (September 4, 2019), "Woman Sexually Assaulted by Stanford Swimmer Reveals Her Identity", People , retrieved September 4, 2019
  21. ↑ Dickson, EJ (September 4, 2019), "Chanel Miller, Survivor at the Center of Brock Turner Case, Comes Forward", Rolling Stone , retrieved September 4, 2019{{citation}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  22. ↑ Wyatt, Neal (October 3, 2019), "New Bestsellers, Oct. 3, 2019 - Book Pulse", Library Journal , retrieved October 28, 2019, Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller (Viking: Penguin) reclaims her story at No. 5 on the NYT Hardcover Nonfiction Best Sellers list and No. 14 on the USA Today Best-Selling Books list.
  23. ↑ "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Oct 13. 2019", The New York Times , October 13, 2019, retrieved October 28, 2019, New This Week - Know My Name - by Chanel Miller - Viking - A sexual assault victim reclaims her identity and challenges our culture and criminal justice system as they relate to this issue.
  24. ↑ "Best-Selling Books Week Ended September 28", The Wall Street Journal , October 3, 2019, retrieved October 28, 2019
  25. ↑ "Book Marks reviews of Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller". Book Marks. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  26. ↑ Speier, Jackie (June 15, 2016), "Words From a Sexual Assault Survivor to Her Attacker", Congressional Record , vol. 162, no. 95, From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office, United States House of Representatives, pp. H3905–H3909, retrieved September 5, 2019
  27. 1 2 Nguyen, Chris (September 5, 2019), "Brock Turner's sex assault victim makes her name public", KTRK-TV , retrieved September 5, 2019
  28. ↑ Proudfoot, Jenny (September 5, 2019), "Brock Turner's anonymous sexual assault victim has identified herself", Marie Claire UK, retrieved September 5, 2019
  29. ↑ Kirk, Tristan (September 5, 2019), "'I'm Emily Doe': Sex assault case victim reveals identity in book", Evening Standard , retrieved September 5, 2019
  30. ↑ "Best Books of 2019". The Washington Post . November 21, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  31. ↑ "2021 Rise: A Feminist Book Project List". American Library Association. 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  32. ↑ "Best Memoir & Autobiography". Goodreads . Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  33. ↑ Beth Parker (March 12, 2020). "Announcing the 2019 Award Winners". bookcritics.org. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  34. ↑ Finkel, Jori (5 August 2020). "Chanel Miller's Secret Source of Strength". The New York Times .
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