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3.5 ⭐️

The Tell told the story of a resilient woman, Amy, who overcame sexual trauma and abuse. She shared stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery among many other experience of hers. I admired Amy’s courage and resiliency to build her adult life; through marriage, motherhood, and a thriving career. Moreover, I appreciated many aspects of Griffin’s memoir: Her personal exploration of self-discovery and resilience, framed within the context of her life experiences and the societal influences that shaped her journey was inspiring.

Collectively l was allured by Amy’s writing style. The narrative carried a conversational tone which intrigued me. Similarly I liked how she balanced humor and depth making the difficult topics accessible without diminishing their significance.

On top of Amy’s distinct writing style, I liked how she captured her family’s roles, particularly her parents, whose traditional values often clashed with her evolving worldview. In addition to her family, I liked how Griffin introduced some mentors and friends who also influenced her journey. By honing in on all her relationships, Griffin illustrated the importance of connections and community while overcoming personal challenges.

Overall, I was invested in Amy Griffin’s honest and relatable memoir. Her willingness to confront her vulnerabilities and the societal expectations placed upon her cultivated an acute connection with me. Her story was an inspiring one and is a story that has encouraged me to find more of my own truths amongst the discordance of external expectations. (Audio)

*Narration Note-I am usually in favor of the author narrating their own novel or memoir, in fact I encourage it; however in this case, I do not think Amy Griffin’s narration was a particularly pleasant one. Her tone was very flat and monotone. And the lack of voice inflections made it hard to completely enjoy her story. Fortunately I looked past her monotone voice after a couple chapters and delighted in her ability to draw me in based on her candid and authentic storytelling.