Know My Name

Winner of the 2019 National Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography

50 Books for 50 years

Powell's anniversary list: 1971-2021

As a society, we expect a lot from our victims. We’d like them to be faultlessly virtuous and silent, or deeply flawed and perhaps culpable, because either scenario allows third parties to feel neither susceptible to, nor responsible for, such an outcome. Victims are often unnamed for many good reasons, but it has the perhaps unintended effect of making their suffering abstract, their pain unattributable to a specific face. In Know My Name, Chanel Miller bravely, beautifully tells her story. She fully renders the ongoing trauma of enduring a sexual assault and then the needlessly difficult processes that follow, from forensic exams to trial to sentencing. It was during that last stage when Miller’s writing first came to the world’s attention, credited to “Emily Doe,” but this is not the story of a victim. Rather, it is the story of a person, an artist, a writer, a survivor. Recommended By Keith M., Powells.com

"Know My Name is a gut-punch, and in the end, somehow, also blessedly hopeful." Washington Post

Universally acclaimed, rapturously reviewed, and an instant New York Times bestseller, Chanel Miller's breathtaking memoir "gives readers the privilege of knowing her not just as Emily Doe, but as Chanel Miller the writer, the artist, the survivor, the fighter." (The Wrap). Her story of trauma and transcendence illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicting a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shining with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.

Know My Name will forever transform the way we think about sexual assault, challenging our beliefs about what is acceptable and speaking truth to the tumultuous reality of healing. Entwining pain, resilience, and humor, this memoir will stand as a modern classic.

"Unputdownable....A much-needed memoir giving voice to those who must be heard. Miller's writing stands apart." Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Miller makes a powerful case for overhauling a system that retraumatizes victims of sexual violence even in successful cases, perpetuating the feedback loop that discourages victims from coming forward to seek justice." Mother Jones

"Miller distinguishes herself not only for her resilience and fortitude, but also for her power of expression. She possesses extraordinary gifts as a writer." The National Book Review

"Miller is a gifted storyteller....Know her name, know her voice." The New Yorker

"Miller's new memoir echoes her powerful victim-impact statement....It's a beautiful revealing self-portrait. It's funny and it's heartbreaking, and it's an inspiration. There's just no other way to say it: the writing is exquisite." The Daily Beast

"A stunning book...beautifully written." Teen Vogue

"Triumphant....Know My Name evokes a woman whose spirit hasn't been broken — a study in what it means to strike back, not in revenge, but in reclamation." O Magazine

"Know My Name is a blistering, beautifully written account of a courageous young woman's struggle to hold a sexual predator accountable. Stand back, folks: This book is going to give a huge blast of momentum to the #MeToo movement." Jon Krakauer

Chanel Miller is a writer and artist who received her BA in Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her critically acclaimed memoir, Know My Name, was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times Book Review Notable Book, and a National Book Critics Circle Award winner, as well as a best book of 2019 in Time, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, NPR, and People, among others. She is a 2019 Time Next 100 honoree and a 2016 Glamour Woman of the Year honoree under her pseudonym, "Emily Doe."