Amy Griffin’s The Tell is a compelling memoir about a challenging topic. I enjoyed the writing pace and descriptive details. The author’s vulnerability is empowering, and I believe many women will find strength in this story.

I couldn’t put this riveting memoir down. The storytelling seamlessly weaves back and forth in time as Griffin goes from girlhood to adulthood. I felt such compassion for her, but not in a pitying way. I admired her strength, her tenacity, and her drive to pursue her own mental health. This book is hard to read—abuse is never an easy topic to read about—but she wrote with such care and tenderness. It’s tightly edited and powerfully moving. There’s no doubt this book will help so many who have gone through similar situations.

A great story but also so sad. It’s interesting to me to read about how the brain responds to trauma. And how “the body keeps the score.” I loved this quote, “Remembering was so hard, but now I understood why we did it-why it was worth remembering at all.
It wasn't so we could wallow in the pain. It was so we could more fully touch the joy.”


Review posted to Goodreads on March 26,2025

The Tell was an excellent read, highly recommend it on audio too. I appreciated the writing and her grappling with her childhood trauma. It wasn't clear cut and I appreciated that.

What a powerful, courageous story. It sucked me right in from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down. Loved her writing style and the way she brought me along for her journey of self awareness and memories. I’m also thankful for the possibility that it may be giving others the courage to share their own “tell” in their own way so that they too may be able to embrace the future.

Thank you for sharing this book. I think it will resonate with so many women., and they will know that they aren’t alone.

Amy Griffin's The Tell is a profoundly moving memoir that will resonate long after the final page. With raw honesty and remarkable courage, Griffin navigates the resurfacing of childhood memories of sexual abuse, offering readers an intimate look at her journey toward understanding and healing. Though the subject matter is undeniably difficult, her storytelling is both compelling and necessary, making this an unforgettable and deeply impactful read.

“Sometimes we keep secrets to survive. Then a moment arrives when the usefulness of the secret expires. Keeping it becomes the thing that hurts us. We have to tell.”

From the outside, Amy Griffin’s life looks perfect, but she’s been keeping a secret. One she’s subconsciously kept from herself until she experiences an MDMA-assisted psychedelic therapy session.

It’s amazing what the mind does to protect ourselves. Griffin’s memoir was beautifully written, and so honest and raw! The flashbacks of her abuse in high school were hard to stomach. The structure of the story was super unique, which I loved - it was broken into 3 sections titled: Running, Remembering, Rebecoming. I related to many of her comments about perfectionism and I enjoyed learning more about using MDMA as a therapeutic tool.

While the synopsis of The Tell keeps the ‘secret’ intentionally vague, there’s a pretty clear warning at the start of the book. I’d recommend for those looking for an empowering story, but tread carefully.

The Tell is out in the world as of Tuesday, 3/11/25 and is also an Oprah’s Book Club pick! Thank you @randomhouse @amygriffin and @netgalley for the eARC!

This book was so good! I rarely read book excerpts in magazines but I happened to be reading Vogue on a plane so I started this one. The excerpt was so good that I couldn't wait to get the book which had just come out. Amy is a great write and I loved her honest descriptions of herself, her husband, her life and her family. She captured my attention in the first chapter and I could not wait to read the rest! I was not disappointed either. The rest of the book is so full of the details of what happened to her and how she went about remembering it all slowly through a controlled process, how she came to terms with and told her friends and family. Sadly he could not hold Mr. Mason responsible. However, I am hoping by now that he has read this book or someone has mentioned it to him. Maybe someone else will step forward some day. In the meantime, Amy has been living an amazing life! I am astonished at how successful she has been and also not surprised she could write such a sincere and candid autobiography. I have much admiration and respect for her courage & strength, and obviously I do not know her. Definitely do not miss this book! Thanks to NG and Random House for the ARC!!!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: This is a well written if somewhat vague memoir about a highly successful woman who recovered her memories of childhood abuse after an MDMA guided session and her subsequent experiences after she understood her truth. The memoir is powerful but somewhat vague and repetitive. I couldn't understand the timeframe--when did she recover the memories and how many years afterwards did she document. Childhood abuse is highly prevalent, but Griffin is in a unique situation of privilege and while elements of her story will be universal, clearly some will not.

What an incredibly, brave story to tell! Amy Griffin has written such an exemplary memoir all about memory, identity, and healing. First, Amy Griffin is a terrific writer - I highlighted so many beautifully written sentences. She really captures her authentic feelings in the pages of this book. Griffin also is so honest, something I really respect in memoirs where it can be hard to hold up the mirror and truly reflect yourself. This book should be read by anyone interested in self-reflection or those looking to understand more about themselves. It pairs well with What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey.

While this is a deeply personal book, I felt like there was too much circumstance. The writing style was not for me and did not have the intended impact.

Amy Griffin, after undergoing supervised therapy, rediscovered long-buried memories. Her memoir recounts her experiences with therapy and the abuse she endured from 7th grade to high school. Highly recommended by me and Oprah.

This remarkable memoir is an exploration of how trauma can follow us over the course of our lives, and how it often manifests in our physical bodies before it shows up in our minds.

From the outside, Amy Griffin seems to be living the perfect life. She has a loving husband, four healthy kids, and a job supporting female entrepreneurs. Her daughter opens up to her one night, telling her, “You’re here, but you’re not here. Where are you, Mom?”

Her daughter’s admission leads Amy to try psychedelic assisted therapy, which her husband has been experimenting with. When a shocking truth presents itself in her first session, it pushes Amy to confront a past she has been running from, and to the limits to the judicial system—and ultimately, back home to where her story began.

This is one of the best memoirs I have read recently.

I honestly was not expecting the main event to be. TW: Sexual Abuse, rape, childhood trauma.

I was so intrigued by the start of the book and how the author runs, literally and metaphorically, and how by doing that, by putting herself through high standards of perfectionism and always wanting to do everything right, her mind, herself was able to suppress the trauma of her childhood of being sexually abused by her teacher.

It was also interesting to learn how she was able to "recover" or remember all those memoirs through MDMA therapy and how observations made by her daughters helped her to realize and start her own healing journey. Her relationship with her family is one of the most touching elements throughout the book.

One of the best memoirs I have ever read. I was so deeply moved and inspired by Amy’s story. This story will stay with me forever, and I am now one of Amy’s many steadfast supporters. Absolutely unforgettable.

Another interesting and well-done Oprah pick. Amy Griffin grew up in Texas where manners and image were everything. She finds herself at middle age living in New York City with her husband and four children. Based on her husband’s recommendation, she looks into MDMA therapy to help her discover her true self and deal with something that has been at the edges of her life, but she doesn’t know what that is. This sets her down the path of personal growth and healing.

I read and listened to this one and found hearing Amy tell her story to be extremely compelling. This book has one of the best hallmarks of memoir: the author (knowingly or not) writes it in a way where you really get her feelings and personality. It is not whitewashed — Amy is Amy. What I mean is she does not take the pen and just write herself in the best light. She is complex, complicated and brave to have written this story.

I would love to read a nonfiction book on MDMA therapy and memory after reading this. I have so many questions.

I flew through Amy Griffin’s extraordinary memoir 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 in just two days. I never know whether an author appreciates that or not, after having labored over their own book for a long time. In any event, this is an absolutely amazing story that is all the more important because it is nonfiction.

Griffin lives what seems to be a charmed and glamorous life in New York City. She has four beautiful children, has very high-profile friends and a thriving business.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦,” she admits, “𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵.”

Something was compelling her to be constantly running (literally), constantly striving to be perfect, constantly trying to control her children. Visits with a therapist who uses MDMA in her sessions lead to the uncovering of repressed memories of sexual abuse by a teacher when Amy was only 12 years old.

I will spare you the gruesome details of Amy’s abuse but she graphically recounts the horrors she experienced in middle school. This book is an extraordinary account of her recovery, and her coming to terms with her family in Texas and how this could have been allowed to happen.

Brave seems like too small a word to use here but Amy could have kept all of this private and quietly gone on with her life. I applaud her in her recovery journey, and hope that this sensitively written book helps others who might be dealing with similar trauma. ✨

“𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.”

Thank you to Dial Press for my complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a hard read, but a powerful, illuminating, and necessary one. Amy Griffin’s brave and unexpected memoir sheds light on the darkest places of her mind and life, and telling her story will help countless women to speak power to their own truths. For readers of KNOW MY NAME and THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE, this is an incredibly unforgettable and moving book.

Amy Griffin’s memoir, The Tell, is a beautifully written and deeply moving exploration of repressed childhood trauma and the journey toward healing. Through lyrical yet raw prose, Griffin masterfully recounts her seemingly idyllic upbringing in Amarillo, Texas, juxtaposed with the haunting memories that resurface during psychedelic-assisted therapy. Her ability to weave personal pain into a broader narrative of resilience and self-discovery makes the book both heart-wrenching and inspiring. While some sections detailing legal and personal roadblocks may feel slower-paced, they add authenticity to her journey and underscore the complexities of recovery. Ultimately, The Tell is an extraordinary debut that resonates long after the final page—a must-read for anyone drawn to stories of transformation and reconciliation. A solid 5 stars!