A thought-provoking read that felt straightforward as I read, yet I've come back to this book in thought and conversations with others countless times since finishing it. Brings to light all sorts of questions about therapy (drug-assisted or not), childhood, and the ways in which trauma can embed.

This is a heartbreaking but altogether too common story of a “normal” childhood that included sexual abuse by a known person. Like many survivors of trauma, the author’s experience impacts her life but she doesn’t remember what happened until a MDNA session opens the floodgates. I found it compelling to hear different reactions to her revelations as she tells various people in her family and friends circle. I didn’t agree with her assessment or reaction in all cases, but I don’t always agree with my own after some time either. The legal part was the least favorite aspect for me.

This was riveting. The writing itself didn't always shine but the story beneath the words needed to be told.

No rating and won't write many comments. Interesting story and obviously powerful and upsetting. I had a few qualms related to privilege.

4.5 ⭐
The Tell is an emotional and much needed memoir about a woman and her journey to discover that she had repressed memories of sexual abuse/rape from her middle school years that were affecting her health and well-being. I applaud Amy Griffin for doing the work needed through psychedelic-assisted therapy to recall the memories and her ongoing journey to find healing from her childhood trauma. There are many women who have been the victims of sexual abuse/rape. This book would be beneficial to help other survivors find their truth and resiliency.

Synopsis:
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.

Many thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the advanced digital copy of the book for my opinion.

Wow! This book is seriously un-put-downable! I read about 75% of the book in one sitting. I had never heard of Amy Griffin, but keep hearing about this book and seeing the cover everywhere! I'm so glad I picked it to read next. I've been telling anyone who will listen what a great book this is. Love Griffin's writing style. Thank you again to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy.

The Tell dishes out plenty of behind-the-scenes drama, and if you love a good tell-all, there’s definitely some satisfaction in the revelations. Amy Griffin doesn’t hold back—but sometimes it feels more like venting than storytelling. While some parts were fascinating and eye-opening, others dragged or felt repetitive. A mixed bag overall: entertaining in moments, but lacked the cohesion and polish to make it truly great.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It felt dry and removed for a “radical truth telling memoir”. I just could not relate to her. I did not think that the author was a really an advocate which is fine, but I thought that’s how the book was being sort of marketed. Also strange about the repressed memories- that’s very controversial and I didn’t feel like they got into that quite so much. Her relationship with her daughter made me very uncomfortable. Hopefully her characterization of her daughter was fake made up for the book because no child should be in that position or talk like that.

A stirring and emotional memoir about trauma and repressed memory, and what happens when we recall. The content was not always easy to read, and I had to take a number of breaks and come back to this memoir.

I don't think I have the words to adequately express the way this book made me feel. Haunted? Sad yet joyful over Amy's journey? Shaken? Angry? Anxious over my own daughter's future life experiences? The answer is yes to them all. And I think Amy would probably approve, based on the nuanced and open-handed way she told her story. I felt like I was getting a front row seat to Amy's therapy sessions, but not in a voyeuristic way. Instead, her words touched a chord in me that has me curious about my own tells, the ways my past traumas play out in my own body and interactions with others. I'll be thinking about this book for a while yet.

The Tell: A Memoir is a powerful, engrossing story of childhood trauma. I recommend the audiobook narrated by the author Amy Griffin who bravely underwent therapy using psychedelic drugs to uncover repressed memories of childhood abuse. While her choice of therapy is unorthodox, the process of learning how the brain can hide and reveal memories is fascinating. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

due to personal stuff going on rn, I had to put a pause on this one. too close for comfort at the moment and while I love reviewing I also love my mental health :(
I def plan to pick it back up when I'm able & I'm so grateful to PRH, The Dial Press, Amy Griffin and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review that <b>will</b> be coming! ...later.

From what I've heard, I'm certain I'll continue to love this when I do finish it.

A brave and courageous memoir from a survivor of abuse, The Tell offers a powerful reflection on the dangers of a society that pushes women to conform to rigid, outdated roles. While some of these traditional values are finally being questioned, they still linger far too deeply in our collective psyche.
Everyone—especially parents—needs to make a conscious effort to break the cycle of marginalizing women while simultaneously encouraging their competition to be in a relationship, find a man, or marry well. This book holds a mirror up to that contradiction with stunning clarity.
One quote was particularly poignant: “To prove my merit, I needed to be chosen by a man—someone special, someone powerful. To be wanted would confirm my value… What really mattered was that I cultivate the credentials that would make someone like me, that I become salable to the world of men who would determine my worth.” I think that resonates with every woman who has ever felt the pressure to be both desirable and impressive—on someone else's terms, often at the expense of their own desires.
I appreciated Amy Griffin’s candor and relatability, and I’m encouraged that a book on such a difficult yet common topic is gaining momentum. I can only hope it empowers more survivors to speak up and find support earlier, and helps adults better recognize the signs of predatory grooming so we can prevent abuse and protect our youth.

What a read! I couldn't put this book down.
The author certainly had such an important story to tell and, though so painful, I so admire the courage it took to write this book. It was a tough and inspiring read and I thank her for letting us know of her story and her healing.

“A moment arrives when the usefulness of a secret expires. Keeping it becomes the thing that hurts us. We have to tell. “

This heartfelt memoir takes us to the darkest place, and back again, as we meet Amy, and her “perfect life” in Amarillo, Texas, and then are told her story — horrifying with a secret which hasn’t been told in the thirty-odd years since it happened.

Written with candor, and the deepest intimacy, it would be impossible not to be touched (and appalled) by Amy’s experiences, and awed by the healing process she followed, beginning with the telling and the sharing, with the reader, and with tremendous bravery.

I read this book almost straight through, unable to contain the emotions raised (within this reader, and no doubt, even more primally for the author), including sadness, rage, terror, and eventually, a baseline of healing and acceptance. For life does go on, ultimately and regardless. Terrible things happen to many, if not all of us, and as the author shows us, we become the people we are by how we are able to respond, and carry on, growing in a direction that contains us, even when things appear unfathomable. As the reader comes to terms with her own life and priorities of focus, it feels as if we have taken a journey together, and come out in the end a little wiser, our empathy heightened, and feeling a whole lot more vigilant.

A difficult read and an inspiring one, we are all ultimately connected by our compassion to our own, and others, often indescribable pain. And sometimes, that is a reminder we all need to hold, front and center, as we find our way to each other and through the best and the worst, as they inevitably touch our lives.

A great big thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

This memoir is extremely difficult but so important. It reminded me a lot of Chanel Miller's Know My Name and was that well-written, too. Amy Griffin has done such a courageous thing in writing this book, it is powerful, raw, and so emotional that I shed tears multiple times while reading it. This book is so hard to read but so important, too. I couldn't put it down.

This memoir is brutal and beautiful and a true testament to courage and strength. I read it in one sitting and will be thinking about it for a long time.

I usually shy away from memoirs because they often read like a series of life events rather than follow the arc of a story. But the structure of The Tell is brilliant.

This book really made me think about the stigma of doubt attached to abuse survivors. If someone is hit by a car, we accept that they might not remember the incident due to trauma. And if the memory returns, there's no questioning whether it happened. But when the trauma is abuse and the wounds are psychological, there's a tendency towards maybe the whole thing is made up.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to Amy Griffin for having the strength to vulnerably share your story.

This was a beautifully written memoir. It was a raw and inspiring story of how Amy dealt with her trauma.

I received a ARC for an honest review. This memoir from Amy Griffin is her story of a connecting her past and present and finding healing. She shares with us that she’s always been a runner. Always busy. A perfectionist. Not in tune with how she feels or able to connect with herself or others on a deeper level. She knows there’s something bothering her but couldn’t face her trauma. She begins to face it with support. She’s able to share with others and to find more healing.
I really liked this book. I don’t really like rating memoirs because it’s so personal and every person who writes a memoir deserves 5 stars just for sharing a part of themselves. No matter how it’s written.
I gave 4 stars because while it was great there were things I struggled with. I didn’t like that it took so long to get to the content of what the book was about. It felt like I was reading her story but not sure why until when she got into the reason closer to the middle of the book, but I think it may be intentional and others may appreciate that! There’s no finality with the end. It ends well but not with the full outcome that you hope for. But this is her journey and her truth so of course we just are getting a glimpse in to say it ends perfectly is not real life. Definitely worth a read imo