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!

What an amazing telling of such a personal story. This was so raw and beautiful. I commend Amy for being able to put this out in the world, thank you.

The Tell: A Memoir by Amy Griffin is a story of a woman resilient woman who overcomes sexual trauma and abuse. Unable to understand why she cannot achieve happiness despite her successful like. Through the use of psychedelic therapy and the resurfacing of suppressed memories, she discovers she was sexually abused as a teen.

Through her own resilience and an amazing support system, Griffin is able to find the strength to begin claiming her life and work through her healing process.

This is a must read for those who have suffered sexual abuse and their allies to reinforce the importance of patience, and the support needed to ensure successful healing.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 Stars
Print Pub Date: Mar 11 2025

Tags:
@thedialpress
@randomhouse
#TheTellAMemoir
#AmyGriffin
#YarisBookNook
#netgalley

I have to admit that I usually avoid books about traumatic experiences, but the reviews encouraged me to start this one. And I don't regret it. I cannot recall the last time I was so captivated by a work of non-fiction. It is such a powerful and skillfully written memoir.

Despite the difficult subject matter, this is not a book about suffering and cruelty. It is about resilience, overcoming trauma, and, as the author herself puts it, rebecoming. Thanks to the writing structure, we accompany her on an incredibly difficult - but rewarding - journey.

I cannot recommend this book more highly.

Thanks to the publisher, The Dial Press (Random House), and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Amy Griffen has written an intimate raw memoir of discovering her sexual abuse as a child.As difficult as this topic is it is so beautifully written a terrible subject told with such bravery.I could not put this book down and I’ll continue to cheer for her.#netg#randomhouse.

This is an important superbly written memoir. We join Amy Griffin as she excavates the abuse she suffered as a child but subsequently suppressed. Amy has spent her life running. Running towards perfection. Running toward some ideal of what she’s supposed to be. But it’s only with therapy that she realizes she’s not running to something but away from something. It’s a tough graphic read but necessary. Highly recommended. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the DRC.

The Tell is a profoundly moving and courageous exploration of personal trauma and healing. The book delves into Griffin’s journey of uncovering long-repressed childhood memories and the subsequent path to recovery. Griffin’s story offers hope and is a compelling read. I truly admire her for putting this book into the world. For this reason, I am giving it five stars.

Griffin’s storytelling is engaging, and her insights into trauma, resilience, and self-discovery make this memoir both moving and thought-provoking. However, I found myself wishing she had more directly acknowledged that the kind of healing and personal growth she describes isn’t accessible to everyone. Many people don’t have the financial resources or support systems that can make such deep self-work (or the publishing of a book about it later) possible. Addressing that reality could have added an important layer of depth to an already powerful book.

That said, The Tell is a compelling read that offers valuable reflections on personal transformation and parenthood. I appreciate Griffin’s courage in sharing her journey and encourage others to read her story.

The first step to getting better is understanding the problem. And that's what this memoir is about. Griffin explores her own repressed memories and trauma as well as the methods she has used to expand her mind and escape her burden. Yes she's privileged but her story is relatable. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

The Tell starts with this TW, so I will do the same for readers: This book contains depictions of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.

I’ve always found the idea of repressed memory incredibly interesting. The brain is such a complex organ that there have to be things we don’t know about the way it works and processes. When it comes to trauma, everyone will handle, retain and remember the events or feelings in their own way.

Griffin’s journey to uncover her repressed memories and unpack the sexual assault she endured as a child was incredibly moving. The retelling of the years after she decided to partake in MDMA-assisted psychedelic therapy were vulnerable, and I think she’s very brave to open her experience to readers. There were so many relatable parts to this book that everyone will find a piece of themself in Amy’s story.

I found her relationship with her daughters and all that she learned about being a parent to be the most impactful, but there is also a lot to be said about being the type of person, and especially being the type of woman, who always defers to others and puts others needs first, who strives for perfectionism and can do no wrong, who makes themselves small so others can take the spotlight– it is okay to put yourself and your needs first. In fact, it is imperative.

I highly recommend this book.

*Thank you to NetGalley for exchanging an e-ARC of this book for an unbiased review!

The Tell is Amy Griffin's memoir of all the different ways trauma showed up in her life without her realizing that anything had happened. When the signs become more significant, she gathers the courage to do a psychedelic guided therapy experience and the memories come flooding back. I think that in itself is very brave as it's scary to give up control of your body in order to experience the return of repressed memories and re-experience them. Her courage with what to do with those memories is also significant as is her writing a book about what happened to her.

That said, I feel horrible writing a so so review for a book about something so personal, but I thought it lived up to the title, The Tell. There was a lot of telling and I would have appreciated the book more if it went deeper below the surface. I wish it would have been more poetic and reached the depths of her soul rather than plugging along staying very close to the surface. I think writing this book and publishing it, must have been an incredible feat so I'm in no way putting down Amy, I just wished it dug deeper.

This is an emotional story that I can relate to. My experience is nothing like the author's, but I feel her violation all the same. As she describes her experience, all I can think is the lack of justice for those who are violated. Even though she has found some peace, I hope she continues to do so when this book is released. I was glad that she was able to get closer to her children and her husband, and that they supported her when she was trying to get justice. I also like that her friends had her back and didn't abandon her. when she revealed what happen to her, even when no one else remembers anything. This is a very brave person that talks about what happen to her, so that others know their not alone.
When I read books like this, I get angry at the injustice that many who are violated don't get or when those are found guilty are let go by bogus judges that say Oh, poor criminal who has hurt someone I will let you go because it will effect them if they go to jail, but who cares what this criminal did to someone else. It all makes me so sad because no matter what was done, you live with it forever.

I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of a book about a brave woman who tells us what happen to her and how she is dealing with it.

Amy grew up the eldest child in a highly respected Amarillo, TX family. For all intents and purposes she appeared healthy and happy, privileged and proud; but festering under the surface was abuse-fueled anxiety that propelled her into hyper overachievement. Driven through college, moving to NYC, marathons, marriage, motherhood, triathlons, business success and until her eventual collapse. By that time she was feeling besieged by this constant pursuit of perfection, her own children were telling her they felt disconnected from her, and then, by twist of fate, and dosage of MDMA in a therapeutic setting, Amy uncovered the childhood secret that shattered her bubble of perfection but also, eventually, brought her a modicum of peace.

The Tell is a memoir about childhood trauma, but also about the journey to reclaiming ones health and power. To quote the founder of MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies in an article about the FDA clearing MDMA as an experimental treatment, "PTSD is always distracting you from facing your problems, because it's terrifying. On the MDMA, you're finally able to face the stuff you've been pushing down for so many years." Amy describes how just three sessions enabled her to regain control of her life.