A Memoir

Book Cover

About The Tell

Is it possible to bury something so deep within yourself that it becomes unknowable, even to you? An astonishing memoir that explores how far we will go to protect ourselves, and the healing made possible when we face the secrets that terrify us and begin to share our stories.

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 relentless search for the truth, Griffin probes the pursuit of perfectionism, control, and maintaining appearances that drives so many women, asking the question: When, in our path from girlhood to womanhood, did we learn to look outside ourselves for validation? And what kind of freedom is possible if we accept who we really are? With hope, heart, and honesty, Griffin points a way forward for all of us, revealing the transcendent power of radical truth-telling to deepen our connection to our families—and ourselves.

About The Author

Amy Griffin lives in New York City with her husband, John, and their four children. She is the founder of the investment firm G9 Ventures.

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PRAISE

“Amy Griffin has done something remarkable: She’s turned life-shattering trauma into a life-giving gift. The Tell is the most powerful memoir I’ve read in years. It’s the rare story that will liberate you from shame, empower you to stop cycles of abuse, and make it safer for you to tell the truth. It broke my heart and still left me filled with hope.”

Adam Grant

Overflowing with heart and determination, The Tell is the story of a journey—the day-by-day, step-by-step, hard-won push through harrowing emotional terrain. Here is someone moving steadily toward freedom and spreading so much light along the way. In finding the words to tell her story, in showing what it is to trust herself, Amy Griffin shines a path forward through the dark.

Mariska Hargitay