If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- What drives a survivor of sexual assault to share their story with the world, and what can we learn from their courage?
- Are you curious about the hidden biases in the court system that can affect the outcome of sexual assault cases?
- What if you could turn a traumatic experience into a powerful tool for change and empowerment?
Listen to Know My Name — Free Audiobook
Loading player...
Key Takeaways from Know My Name
- Discover the three distinct stages of emotional reaction to sexual assault, which begin with numbness and shock before evolving into long-term exhaustion and depression.
- Understand why choosing to press charges is a crucial step in reclaiming power, as remaining silent can feel like resigning to the attacker's actions.
- Learn how creating a separate legal persona, such as the pseudonym Emily Doe, can help trauma survivors compartmentalize an overwhelming burden and protect their everyday lives from public scrutiny.
- Uncover the harsh reality of systemic victim-blaming, where the media and society often unfairly prioritize an attacker's future potential over a survivor's profound trauma.
- Find out why leaning on a strong support system of loved ones is essential to surviving an invasive, multi-year legal battle that unfairly demands survivors act like the 'perfect victim'.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from Know My Name
Mind Map
Know My Name
The Assault & Discovery
Woke up brutalized with no memory of the attack
Police were evasive about what happened to her
Learned she was raped via a news article 10 days later
Media & Public Perception
Public comments blamed her for drinking and attending the party
Media humanized the rapist by highlighting his athletic achievements
Media reduced her to a graphic, anonymous body
The Legal Battle
Living a double life as Emily Doe caused profound isolation
Defense attorneys weaponized her drinking to falsely imply consent
Trial forced her to repeatedly relive the trauma over three years
Jury returned unanimous guilty verdict due to strong eyewitness evidence
Institutional Betrayal
Probation officer twisted her words to recommend a lenient sentence
Judge Persky prioritized the rapist's future over the crime's severity
Turner served only three months for felony sexual assault
Stanford University prioritized its reputation over survivor safety
The Victim Impact Statement
Statement went viral on Buzzfeed, garnering millions of views
Brought immense public support and a letter from Joe Biden
Sparked a successful public campaign to recall Judge Persky
Trauma & Healing
Healing is not a linear journey from suffering to recovery
Endured severe long-term PTSD, hyper-vigilance, and bodily dissociation
Found refuge in unconditional support from family and her boyfriend
Reclaimed her voice and agency through printmaking and stand-up comedy
Activism & Systemic Change
Shifted from personal isolation to joining a collective political movement
Society wrongly tasks victims with preventing rape while normalizing offenders
Case led to California laws mandating minimum sentences for assaulting unconscious victims
Combat pervasive rape culture by calling out sexist locker room talk
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 8
How did Chanel Miller first learn the specific details of her sexual assault?
Know My Name — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: More than a week later, Chanel Miller learned the details of her sexual assault via a news report, not from authorities.
Chapter 3: As the article about her rape spread, many readers appeared to blame Chanel for the assault herself instead.
Chapter 4: Since almost no one knew she was the victim, Chanel started living an isolating double life.
Chapter 5: Pursuing justice in court became a traumatic ordeal that left Chanel feeling violated all over again.
Chapter 6: The jury delivered justice, but Chanel was let down by the judge who ultimately sentenced him, Brock Turner.
Chapter 7: As Chanel’s victim impact statement went viral, she saw how much public support she had.
Chapter 8: The assault left long-term psychological consequences that Chanel still struggles with.
Chapter 9: Recovering from the assault remains an ongoing process.
Chapter 10: Chanel began to see her struggle as political rather than personal.
Know My Name Summary & Overview
In Know My Name (2019), Chanel Miller presents her side of what happened when she was sexually assaulted by Stanford student Brock Turner and forced to endure a long and traumatizing trial in the public eye. Drawing parallels between her own experience and the structural mistreatment of women in the court system, she explains what made her determined to share her story and empower other survivors.
Who Should Listen to Know My Name?
- People who want to learn more about the experience of sexual assault survivors in the US court system
- Memoir-lovers who want to be inspired by the story of a remarkable woman
- Activists who want inspiration for effecting political change
Books Similar to Know My Name
Readers who enjoyed this also liked these titles.
The Wind Knows My Name
★ 4.5 / 5 • 408 ratingsTwo children, separated from their mothers by violence eight decades apart, carry the same wound—until an unlikely found family, stitched together by music, courage, and stubborn love, tries to turn exile into home and waiting into belonging.
Unbound
★ 4.5 / 5 • 146 ratingsMy Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement
My Name Is Barbra
★ 3.5 / 5 • 19 ratingsUncover the Intimate Story of a True Entertainment Titan
When They Call You a Terrorist
★ 3.8 / 5 • 34 ratingsA Black Lives Matter Memoir