Know My Name
What is so heartbreaking about this memoir is that it is so well written AND a true story. Know My Name is the account of the woman, Chanel Miller, who was assaulted by Brock Turner on the Stanford Campus. This book delves into her life in the aftermath of living through this experience.
Memoir is a really tough genre for me to provide an honest review for and feedback to other writers for because I have read a lot of stories that are not very well written but I believe that stories are a powerful vehicle of transformation. True stories are therapeutic for a writer to share and listening to stories are a way to for people to open their hearts to the realities that other people have to face. But not only can I commend Chanel Miller allowing herself to be emotionally vulnerable to the world by sharing this story but she also writes in a way that really invites you into her thoughts in a compelling way. This story was clearly difficult for her to share but it also brings truth to our justice system and what it is like to live in the aftermath of a traumatic sexual assault that got a lot of media attention. As a writer myself I have some memoir pieces that I will never share with the world because there are a lot of ethical and legal ramifications to sharing stories that involve other people. But this book taps into legal and ethical ramifications that bring truth to power. But reading Chanel Miller's isn't merely a way to be transformed by opening your heart to her story, it is also the type of book that utilizes language in a way that should be a delight to read. But it is a true story...which is what makes it heartbreaking.
This book is not for the faint of heart. Horror is one of my absolute favorite genres but it took me longer to read a tale of true terror. But I kept coming back because it is not only well written but important book to read. I needed to be in a frame of mind where I felt calmer about some of my own personal issues in order to really dive into this book with an open heart. I needed to allow myself the freedom to put it down for a bit and to read something more escapist from time to time. But I kept picking it back up again knowing full well that this story NEEDS to be heard.
I am also posting this review on Goodreads
Memoir is a really tough genre for me to provide an honest review for and feedback to other writers for because I have read a lot of stories that are not very well written but I believe that stories are a powerful vehicle of transformation. True stories are therapeutic for a writer to share and listening to stories are a way to for people to open their hearts to the realities that other people have to face. But not only can I commend Chanel Miller allowing herself to be emotionally vulnerable to the world by sharing this story but she also writes in a way that really invites you into her thoughts in a compelling way. This story was clearly difficult for her to share but it also brings truth to our justice system and what it is like to live in the aftermath of a traumatic sexual assault that got a lot of media attention. As a writer myself I have some memoir pieces that I will never share with the world because there are a lot of ethical and legal ramifications to sharing stories that involve other people. But this book taps into legal and ethical ramifications that bring truth to power. But reading Chanel Miller's isn't merely a way to be transformed by opening your heart to her story, it is also the type of book that utilizes language in a way that should be a delight to read. But it is a true story...which is what makes it heartbreaking.
This book is not for the faint of heart. Horror is one of my absolute favorite genres but it took me longer to read a tale of true terror. But I kept coming back because it is not only well written but important book to read. I needed to be in a frame of mind where I felt calmer about some of my own personal issues in order to really dive into this book with an open heart. I needed to allow myself the freedom to put it down for a bit and to read something more escapist from time to time. But I kept picking it back up again knowing full well that this story NEEDS to be heard.
I am also posting this review on Goodreads
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