I can't really speak too much on this subject as I am not someone who has experienced what Chanel has, but I do think it was important that I heard the story from her and others like her. I do know someone else who was raped, but she was also robbed and kidnapped at gunpoint and I'm fairly certain that if it were not for those two things, would her rape really have gone to court? It's horrible to think of it that way, but if there aren't those other aspects, I hesitate to think so. 

Not spoilers, really, just my run on thoughts on the subject matter.

Hearing the descriptions of the rape kit being described, I see now why women are hesitant to go get them done. I knew they had to look you over and also do swabs inside your vagina, but I didn't realize it was to such an extent. I think the other thing that bothered me about this was the assumption that the lack of presence of semen meant there was no penile penetration, which is completely inaccurate. Men don't always ejaculate.

I'm getting off track, though. As mentioned, these are all issues with the system we have in place. We say that Chanel was 'lucky' with who she had responding to her scene, but she shouldn't have been lucky, she should have been receiving the default. That's how every rape case should be treated, how every person should be cared for after an assault occurs.

Aside from just that, it's remarkable when you consider the court process itself. On the outside we know that it's a slow process, but we don't really consider not just the victims that are having to take the time out of their daily lives but the witnesses too. I never thought much about them having to fly back and then 'oh it's canceled' and it's just a huge waste of their time but also missed school and work when they are just trying to live a life.

It's an insight into her personal mental state, what it's like to deal with the aftermath of an assault, but also this sort of process in the legal system. I listened to the audiobook and I wonder how hard it was for her to read this whole thing after writing it. I noticed that when reading her victim impact statement at the end, there were a few times where she had difficulty reading it (I'm not sure if this is a new recording of it for the audiobook or not). I hope that reading it was as helpful as writing it was for her--she did a great job at both. 

I'd love to see more creative work from her in years to come. Her art and her comedy--she's got lots to show the world!