Tears of the Silenced is one of the most remarkable memoirs I’ve ever read. It is extremely well written and I found myself reading it at every opportunity. This is definitely one you don’t want to miss.
I have actually been putting off writing a review because I was left somewhat speechless once I finished the story. Misty is incredibly brave to put her story out into the world and I wasn’t even sure what to say. I so appreciate that she took the time to write it and that she has been able to find happiness in her life after it was all said and done.
I will say that this memoir does get graphic so read or listen with care. I am so heartbroken for all the children in this story and it is hard to hear. I hope they are all able to move on from the trauma somehow. I was rooting for their success and I will reassure you that while there are many “villains” in this story, there are also many heroes.
This book has two covers, so I’ll include both below. I listened to the audiobook which was very well done.
Book Description:
Tears of the Silenced: A true crime and an American tragedy; severe child abuse and leaving the Amish
In May 2022 Misty Griffin released the Child Rights Act petition calling on Congress to take action and help abused children in religious communities. It is currently gaining momentum and national media attention.
Watch Sins of the Amish on Peacock
#1 Best Seller in Cults & Demonism, Parenting & Relationships, Notable People, Religious, Survival, Sexual Assault, and Biographies & MemoirsA gripping story that takes you on the journey of a child abuse and sexual assault survivor turned activist. (Photo gallery included).
True story of child abuse. When Misty Griffin was six years old, her family started to live and dress like the Amish. Misty and her sister were kept as slaves on a mountain ranch and subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse, and physical violence. Their step-father kept a loaded rifle by the door to make sure the young girls were too terrified to attempt escape. No rescue would ever come since the few people who knew they existed did not care.
Sexual abuse among the Amish. When Misty reached her teens, her parents feared she and her sister would escape and took them to an Amish community. Devastated to again find herself in a world of fear, cruelty, and abuse, Misty was sexually assaulted by the bishop. “…I knew I had to get help, and one freezing morning in early March, I made a dash for a tiny police station in rural Minnesota. After reporting the bishop, I left the Amish and found myself plummeted into a strange modern world with only a second-grade education and no ID or social security card.” Ultimately Misty graduated nursing school and currently works as an activist for abused children.
Inside learn how:
- A cycle of abuse can be broken
- Abuse was not your fault
- Moving forward is possible
Read true crime books and child abuse true stories like Educated, A Child Called It, The Family Next Door, or Etched In Sand? Then Tears of the Silenced is a must-read.
Book Description from Amazon
– Spoilers Below –
Sometimes when you read a book that is as intense as this one, it can be helpful to digest it by reading other people’s thoughts on it. At least, that is one of the main benefits of book discussions for me. So, I will talk briefly about some spoilery-things, so if you want to avoid that, go ahead and stop reading now.
One of the truly shocking things to me is that Misty Griffin was not born into the Amish. In fact, her life before the Amish was horrifying and I so badly wish that someone would have scooped her and her sister up out of that situation. It was heartbreaking when her abusive parents were able to deceive CPS workers and that they were able to continue abusing others, including Misty’s aunt and grandmother. They used their restrictive religious beliefs to control and abuse others and I can only imagine how strong Misty would have to be to grow up with a good head on her shoulders.
Misty’s abusive stepfather essentially sent her and her sister to be adopted by the Amish. He believed that they would fail to meet the Amish’s strict requirements and be forced to go back home. Instead, Misty proved herself in their community and was more or less welcomed by them. At first, it seems like the Amish community might be a good change in her life. While they were forced to work hard, they weren’t openly beating their children for hours on end, cursing at their children, or forcing them to endure the other tortures that Misty had previously gone through. But their extremely rigid rules made it impossible for Misty to relax. She had to follow every rule to the letter and was mistreated by her (unofficial) adopted mother.
When the sexual abuse becomes apparent to Misty, she finds herself at a crossroads. Will she stay quiet so that she can go on to marry an Amish man and hopefully live a quiet, hardworking life? Or will she report it to the police and get excommunicated from the only community that she has ever known – and be thrust into the wide open world that she has never seen before?
I was so proud of Misty when she reached out to the woman that renting on the Amish man’s property, who had the horse rescue and had been in prison. We never learn why she had been in prison, but this woman goes above and beyond for Misty. She stands up for her, even in scary circumstances, and brings her to the police. Then she makes the decision to drive Misty all the way from the midwest to the Pacific Northwest and bring her to the only person who Misty feels she can trust – her aunt.
I was so glad that the story didn’t end there. Misty had overwhelming circumstances to overcome. She had only a second grade education, but she wanted to go to college. She was able to work hard and eventually to achieve her goal. She finds true love with a man that understands her and makes her laugh.
At the end of the book, I also appreciated that Misty describes the process of writing the book and publishing it. The first version of this book was over 700 pages long and she published it on Amazon unedited. Her story was so powerful that people read it anyway and continued to share it. Eventually, she finds an agent and the book went through some serious editing (mostly trimming it down) and I found that part interesting as well. Obviously, no memoir that covers a whole lifetime can include every detail of abuse. So, how did she choose which parts to include and which to leave out? I have always wondered how people can go about this and still feel they are conveying what happened and I really appreciated how candid she was. She said that some early reviewers had stated that they had trouble finishing the book because the descriptions were so intense that it triggered their own trauma and that it was forcing people to not be able to finish the book. I have PTSD myself and when I read or watch scenes that are too close to it, it can be extremely hard for me to cope with, so I understand this completely. I have always struggled to be able to write about my own trauma because the act of doing so is so traumatic, because I have to relive it, that I truly admire Misty for being willing to endure that to share her story.
I also really enjoyed reading that one of the detectives that was working on one of the child sexual abuse cases actually read Misty’s book! She was later called to testify and I found that whole thing so empowering. So often we read these cases and it ends with – they all got away with it and the victims just have to try to move on. It’s so unsatisfying. But Misty’s story doesn’t just spread awareness, which is still important, it has actually helped Amish people that have chosen to leave the church to process what happened to them and supported them as they transition into the world.
This book is pretty long but I read it in just a few days. If you have already read this book, please share your thoughts on Tears of the Silenced in the comments. If you haven’t read it and you are interested in true crime, religious abuse, or powerful memoirs, I suggest you check it out.
0 Comments