Reader's Choice Book Club--Frisco Public Library discussion
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Know My Name
2022 Meetings
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November - Know My Name
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1. Do you remember this case as it unfolded in the news? Did you follow it at all?
2. Did you read Chanel's victim impact statement when it went viral on Buzzfeed?
3. Was there anything about Chanel's story that surprised you? Was there anything about the legal system and process from a victim's perspective that you found surprising?
4. In what ways do you think the legal system failed Chanel? What--if anything--do you think was done well?
5. Chanel writes, “They seemed angry that I’d made myself vulnerable, more than the fact that he’d acted on my vulnerability.” Discuss how consent is defined both in the context of her trial, and in society as a whole. Much was made of the fact that Chanel never said no--despite the fact that she was unable to do so--when in reality, consent should be enthusiastic and ongoing. How can we change the conversation about consent?
6. In many ways, pressing charges was a dehumanizing experience for Chanel. Discuss how victims are dehumanized, and how Chanel counters this by humanizing herself in this book.
7. While she was being coached for trial, Chanel was expected to appear a very specific way. Not too angry, not too sad, not too "okay." And yet, a lot of what Chanel felt at times was rage. Is rage a valuable emotion? Discuss why or why not.
8. One of the arguments against punishing Brock beyond six months in jail is that serving a prison sentence would ruin his life. And yet, as Chanel asks in this book, what about my life? Hers is not the only life affected, though. Discuss how this experience affected Chanel and her loved ones.
9. Chanel also writes, “Most of us understand that your future is not promised to you. It is constructed day by day, through the choices you make. Your future is earned, little by little, through hard work and action. If you don't act accordingly, that dream dissolves. If punishment is based on potential, privileged people will be given lighter sentences.” Do you agree or disagree with this evaluation?
10. The word "victim" can be loaded--some prefer not to use it while others are fine embracing it. Discuss how Chanel feels about the word and the identity that comes with it.
11. Discuss the power of names in Miller's memoir. Chanel talks about the name she was given during the investigation and trial, her use of names throughout the narrative, and the power of claiming her own name. Why do you believe it's important to her that people know her name? How does trauma take away someone's identity?
12. Chanel discusses the idea of forgiveness both during her account of speaking with the parole officer and at the end. Discuss how she defines forgiveness and how the parole officer interpreted Chanel's wishes for Brock's prosecution.
13. Do you think that the movement to recall the judge who sentenced Turner to only six months in jail was a just reaction? Do you agree with Chanel's wishes for Brock's punishment? Does the American legal system need reform when it comes to sexual assaults?
14. Do you believe that Stanford University did enough to reach out to Chanel after her assault? What more could they have done? Discuss universities' roles and responsibilities in preventing rape and diminishing rape culture. Do you have more empathy for survivors of sexual assault after reading this memoir? How so?
15. Chanel is a very eloquent writer, and she pens many memorable lines and passages. Are there any that were particularly striking or that stood out to you?
16. Chanel talks about her family legacy of writing, and how she wants to go on to write more books. Would you read anything else that she writes?
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We normally meet on Tuesdays, but please note this meeting has been pushed back a couple of days to Thursday.
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She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford’s campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral–viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time.
Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways–there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines 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. It also introduces readers to an extraordinary writer, one whose words have already changed our world. Entwining pain, resilience, and humor, this memoir will stand as a modern classic.