In September 2019,Chanel Miller revealed herself as being "Emily Doe" in thePeople 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 toreappropriate hernarrative 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]
The cover art for the book was inspired bykintsugi, which is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with powdered gold, emphasizing the cracks rather than covering them up.[16]
The book was initially published byViking Books, through efforts by the publisher's editor-in-chief Andrea Schulz.[17][18][19] Schulz took quick action after being contacted by Miller'sliterary 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 onCBS News program60 Minutes, where she read from her original victim impact statement.[13][21][22]
Writing forThe Guardian, Rebecca Liu wrote thatKnow My Name was "unapologetically large", calling Miller's presence "dazzling" and undiminishable.[3] Madison Feller ofElle magazine called it "both an open wound and a salve, a quiet cry and the loudest scream".[16]
U.S. CongresswomanJackie Speier, who coordinated the June 2016 movement in Congress to openly read the text of Miller's victim statement into theUnited States House of Representatives,[26] called the book "a powerful example of how we can overcome adversity".[27]Stanford law professorMichele 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."[28][29] 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."[27]
^Wyatt, Neal (October 3, 2019),"New Bestsellers, Oct. 3, 2019 - Book Pulse",Library Journal, retrievedOctober 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.
^"Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Oct 13. 2019",The New York Times, October 13, 2019, retrievedOctober 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.
