The woman who was sexually assaulted by former Stanford student Brock Turner, known only as Emily Doe, is writing a memoir about her experience.
Viking Books announced in a Wednesday press release that the company will publish Doe’s memoir in September 2019. Doe’s memoir “will reclaim the story of [Doe’s] sexual assault, expose the arduous nature of the legal system, and emerge as a bold, unifying voice,” according to Vogue.
Vikings’ press release states the Doe will “share her experience in emotional, honest and eloquent detail,” adding that, “Her story continues to be a testament to the power of words to heal and effect change.”
Throughout Turner’s case, the survivor was only referred to by a pseudonym. It is unclear if Doe will remain anonymous in her memoir.
Turner was arrested in January 2015, for sexually assaulting an unconscious Doe behind a dumpster outside of a fraternity party. Turner was sentenced to only six months in county jail after being convicted of three felony sexual assault charges in March. He was released after serving three months.
The horrific assault captured the attention of the entire country when BuzzFeed News published the then-23-year-old victim’s impact statement in June 2016. Doe read the gut-wrenching letter in court and addressed her attacker face to face.
“You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me, and that’s why we’re here today,” Doe’s letter read. ”... Your damage was concrete; stripped of titles, degrees, enrollment. My damage was internal, unseen, I carry it with me. You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today.”
Viking editor-in-chief Andrea Schulz said in the Wednesday press release that the memoir will shine a light on rape culture and a system that is built to protect sexual predators.
“Emily Doe’s experience illuminates a culture built to protect perpetrators and a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable,” Schulz said. “The book will introduce readers to the writer whose words have already changed their world and move them with its accounting of her courage and resilience.”