Sept Book Club- Know My Name

[wesleycrusher]

This month was Know My Name by Chanel Miller.  This link has 15 Book Club questions to help you remember some topics covered in the book and thoughts you may have had while reading. 

mytbr.co/15-know-my-name-book-club-questions/

Discuss!

[minzy]

I am not done reading this yet but she strikes me as a very gifted, thoughtful writer. The way she spelled out the evening in question at the beginning of the book, so fact driven, was very compelling and effective. I’ve always appreciated legal cases like that - here are the facts, they tell the story, you don’t need spin to see what is clearly right or wrong. The emotions she later shares made me rage along with her. How DARE he think he was so entitled? !??!!?🤬 I’ll be back when I’m done.

[meowmaps]

I thought Know My Name was really impactful and well-written. It was easy to read in the sense that it had a good flow but hard to read because of the topic matter. I had heard about the attack when it happened but didn't really follow it beyond being disgusted by the rapist. I do also remember hearing about the Swedish guys who tackled the rapist to the ground and tried to make sure justice prevailed (though we know it mostly didn't). Reading Know My Name I was really disturbed by the many ways in which rape victims are re-victimized by the press, legal system, society, etc.

Something Chanel Miller said in her book really resonated with me and I highlighted it in my kindle so I wouldn't forget it: "He may sit in a cell, but he will never know what it’s like to be unhomed from his own body."

[aurora]

Usually this is the time of year when I struggle to get through non-fiction (I tend to read as an escape), but I did find this book compelling. I was surprised at first at the book's length, wondering why Chanel (she does want us to know her name, after all) would want to say so much about such a traumatic experience! But there wasn't anything that felt out of place.

I think she did a really compelling job explaining how so often abuse toward women is discussed with the recipient being nameless/faceless (dehumanized) and the stories being told about the perpetrator making him seem more real. I understand that this is to protect victims who don't want to be known, but I can also see how it makes women in general feel less "known," if that makes sense.

I was sad at the end when she talked about hearing from VP Biden and hearing Hillary Clinton talk about how brave she was. Nostalgia for when leadership meant something.

[aurora]

Also Stanford, like most institutions, clearly cared far more about limiting its legal liability than creating a safe environment. That sort of institutional sexism is hard to battle.

[mrspez07]

I listened to her read the audio book. She was awesome and the writing excellent. I appreciate that she mentioned at the end how much detailed research she did, the amount of detail in describing waking up in the hospital and from there was amazing.
I was shocked that no one actually told her what had happened during her hospital processing, etc. it seemed like she was not only in denial but also everyone was so vague about things. WTH is that about?!
It’s an interesting point she makes too about how much work a victim has to go through to see this thru a trial is baffling and not how it should be. I would think that is especially relevant to sexual assault, but I can’t imagine murder or other traumatic crimes are much better.
I really appreciated reading/listening this book (enjoyed is not the right word). Her personality really came out as well as others she was close to.

[minzy]

I finished reading this today, and remain so impressed by her. I wish she did not have to experience what she did so we could read her words, and I would read something else that she writes in the future. She is such a gifted writer.

I was crying with the jury’s unanimous verdict of three felonies and so bothered by the sentencing process. “You are worth more than three months.” 😢 I am glad they got the judge recalled, that’s pretty difficult to do. I appreciated all of her details, but also her bird’s eye view toward the end where she talked more about the broader #MeToo movement, campus culture (and Stanford’s bang up job handling the case)... as well as the gymnasts, the women who spoke against Bill Cosby, Christine Blasey Ford, et al. I found her comments about how Joe Biden reached out to her with compassion and how affronted she felt by Trump’s “grab em by the p*ssy” to be timely with the upcoming election, and yet one more goddamn reason to hope our country gets it right on November 3. 🤯🤬 I aspire that we all, of course, be decent, but that we also “Be the Swedes” and look out for each other.