Why am I passionate about this?
After writing a novel about the toll true crime can take on victims’ loved ones and the risk it runs of glamourizing killers while overshadowing victims, I’ve been on the hunt for true crime books that don’t fall into these traps. The titles on this list showcase beautiful writing and tell compelling stories without dehumanizing the victims or glamourizing the perpetrators.
Rebecca's book list on true crime that still honor the victims
Why did Rebecca love this book?
In 2015, Chanel Miller was sexually assaulted outside a party on Stanford’s campus. The media gave her assailant a name and a backstory—Brock Turner, the Stanford Swimmer—while she was quickly reduced to a nameless victim—Emily Doe.
Her beautifully written memoir and her victim impact statement, which went viral when published on BuzzFeed, are a reclamation of identity. Despite its subject matter, Know My Name manages to be as hopeful as it is heartbreaking. This comes partly from her vivid, clear prose and partly from Miller’s own resilience.
3 authors picked Know My Name as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Universally acclaimed, rapturously reviewed, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography, 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).
"I opened Know My Name with the intention to bear witness to the story of a survivor. Instead, I found myself falling into the hands of one of the great writers and thinkers of our time. Chanel Miller is a philosopher, a cultural critic, a deep observer, a writer's…