Author: Chanel Miller
One-sentence summary: A woman tells her story of being raped while unconscious and how that event and the following trial impacted her life.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 9
Our favorite thing about it: Such a great message and important point of view.
Our
least favorite thing about it: Some of the
writing style was hard to read and understand.
Main Topics of Discussion: Rape, Victimhood, Legal System, Patriarchy, Justice, Trauma, Family, Sexuality
Our
favorite quote: “In fact I need you
to know it was all true. The friendly guy who helps you move and assists senior
citizens in the pool is the same guy who assaulted me. One person can be
capable of both. Society often fails to wrap its head around the fact that
these truths often coexist, they are not mutually exclusive. Bad qualities can
hide inside a good person. That's the terrifying part.”
Notes: We universally liked this book. It was hard material, but what Chanel says is so important and poignant. We are so glad she has this opportunity to tell her story – through the trial and beyond. It’s hard to say we “enjoyed” this book because of the subject matter, but we were mentally high fiving her when she made excellent point after excellent point about rape and victims and justice. It was all so good. In fact, it’s basically impossible to pick just ONE quote that we loved – there are so many. Here are some of the things we discussed:
- There was lots of detail to her
story. Sometimes it felt like too much and unnecessary. However, we recognize
this is HER story and these details are very central and important to her.
- Some of the writing style was
distracting at times – staccato sentences, run ons, etc. Again, we
understand that these were used to show her confusion and emotion at any
given time. We understand the literary purpose, but they were still hard
to read.
- The insight into the victim’s point
of view of the whole legal process – especially the trial – was fascinating
and infuriating. We’re so glad she chronicled it here.
- It was telling how this trauma
affected her whole life – so many aspects you wouldn’t think about unless
you had gone through it. We learned so much.
- This should be required reading for everyone.
Memorable
Meeting Moments: We at at the Biscuit Bar and then went back
to Rachel’s house for dessert and discussion. This was Amberly’s birthday month.
What We Ate: We all ordered various biscuit sandwiches, some very yummy cocktails, and we all shared several types of tots. It was all so good!
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