The Tell: Oprah's Book Club: A Memoir
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • An astonishing memoir that explores how far we will go to protect ourselves, and the healing made possible when we face our secrets and begin to share our stories
“The Tell encourages us to recognize that sometimes you must understand your own pain to fully experience life’s greatest joys—and Amy’s courage, vulnerability, and insight are a gift to us all.”—Reese Witherspoon, TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2025
“A beautiful account of the journey of courage it takes to face the truth of one’s past.”—Bessel van der Kolk, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score
For decades, Amy ran. Through the dirt roads of Amarillo, Texas, where she grew up; to the campus of the University of Virginia, as a student athlete; on the streets of New York, where she built her adult life; through marriage, motherhood, and a thriving career. To outsiders, it all looked, in many ways, perfect. But Amy was running from something—a secret she was keeping not only from her family and friends, but unconsciously from herself. “You’re here, but you’re not here,” her daughter said to her one night. “Where are you, Mom?” So began Amy’s quest to solve a mystery trapped in the deep recesses of her own memory—a journey that would take her into the burgeoning field of psychedelic therapy, to the limits of the judicial system, and ultimately, home to the Texas panhandle, where her story began.
In her search for the truth, to understand and begin to recover from buried childhood trauma, Griffin interrogates the pursuit of perfectionism, control, and maintaining appearances that drives so many women, asking, when, in our path from girlhood to womanhood, did we learn to look outside ourselves for validation? What kind of freedom is possible if we accept the whole story and embrace who we really are? With hope, heart, and relentless honesty, she points a way forward for all of us, revealing the power of radical truth-telling to deepen our connections—with others and ourselves.
“The Tell encourages us to recognize that sometimes you must understand your own pain to fully experience life’s greatest joys—and Amy’s courage, vulnerability, and insight are a gift to us all.”—Reese Witherspoon, TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2025
“A beautiful account of the journey of courage it takes to face the truth of one’s past.”—Bessel van der Kolk, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score
For decades, Amy ran. Through the dirt roads of Amarillo, Texas, where she grew up; to the campus of the University of Virginia, as a student athlete; on the streets of New York, where she built her adult life; through marriage, motherhood, and a thriving career. To outsiders, it all looked, in many ways, perfect. But Amy was running from something—a secret she was keeping not only from her family and friends, but unconsciously from herself. “You’re here, but you’re not here,” her daughter said to her one night. “Where are you, Mom?” So began Amy’s quest to solve a mystery trapped in the deep recesses of her own memory—a journey that would take her into the burgeoning field of psychedelic therapy, to the limits of the judicial system, and ultimately, home to the Texas panhandle, where her story began.
In her search for the truth, to understand and begin to recover from buried childhood trauma, Griffin interrogates the pursuit of perfectionism, control, and maintaining appearances that drives so many women, asking, when, in our path from girlhood to womanhood, did we learn to look outside ourselves for validation? What kind of freedom is possible if we accept the whole story and embrace who we really are? With hope, heart, and relentless honesty, she points a way forward for all of us, revealing the power of radical truth-telling to deepen our connections—with others and ourselves.
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Community Reviews
thenextgoodbook.com
What’s it about?
Amy Griffin can not figure out what she is running from. Why is the need to be perfect so ingrained into her life? With the help of psychedelic drugs, she recovers memories of abuse and trauma from her childhood. This book shares her story.
What did it make me think about?
Courage.
Should I read it?
So, this book is being talked about a lot! It was just chosen as an Oprah Book Club Pick. I decided to read it and see what the fuss was about. I certainly understand why it is so popular. It is a quick read, and Amy Griffin has a story to tell. Sadly, although the statistics vary, sexual abuse in children is not a rare occurrence. I am sure some will question how she came to remember the incidents, but she certainly was believable to me. The subject of repressed memories is an interesting topic in itself, although it is a subject that is not without controversy. Let’s face it- the human mind is still poorly understood. “It was a reminder that multiple stories could be true at the same time, that we select our narratives in accordance with how honest we want to be and how honest we can be with ourselves.” Kudos to Amy Griffin for sharing her story.
Quote-
“Abuse, I was beginning to understand, was a tangled mess of shame and silence. The abused learned early that survival sometimes means protecting the secrets of their abusers. Growing up doesn’t mean that impulse goes away.”
What’s it about?
Amy Griffin can not figure out what she is running from. Why is the need to be perfect so ingrained into her life? With the help of psychedelic drugs, she recovers memories of abuse and trauma from her childhood. This book shares her story.
What did it make me think about?
Courage.
Should I read it?
So, this book is being talked about a lot! It was just chosen as an Oprah Book Club Pick. I decided to read it and see what the fuss was about. I certainly understand why it is so popular. It is a quick read, and Amy Griffin has a story to tell. Sadly, although the statistics vary, sexual abuse in children is not a rare occurrence. I am sure some will question how she came to remember the incidents, but she certainly was believable to me. The subject of repressed memories is an interesting topic in itself, although it is a subject that is not without controversy. Let’s face it- the human mind is still poorly understood. “It was a reminder that multiple stories could be true at the same time, that we select our narratives in accordance with how honest we want to be and how honest we can be with ourselves.” Kudos to Amy Griffin for sharing her story.
Quote-
“Abuse, I was beginning to understand, was a tangled mess of shame and silence. The abused learned early that survival sometimes means protecting the secrets of their abusers. Growing up doesn’t mean that impulse goes away.”
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