Oprah Winfrey announced “The Tell” by Amy Griffin as her latest book club selection on Tuesday during an appearance on “CBS Mornings.”
Griffin’s memoir explores how keeping secrets can lead to shame and how revealing those secrets can be empowering. The book details Griffin’s experience with childhood sexual abuse by a teacher, trauma she had suppressed for years.
“This book is going to help so many other people, particularly people who have suffered any kind of sexual abuse or any kind of shame, reveal for themselves,” Winfrey said.
Griffin described writing the memoir as a lengthy process, but said it was “freeing.” She explained that she had built “walls and castles and moats” in her life thinking they would keep her safe, but found liberation through sharing her story.
“When you realize that vulnerability is really the power that you have … it changed so much in my life, in my relationships in every form,” Griffin said.
Winfrey, who revealed she was raped at age 9 and molested until age 14, connected with Griffin’s journey, noting how many women try to maintain perfection while hiding trauma.Â
“When you live in this perfect environment, you don’t want to have to admit to yourself that something is wrong,” Winfrey said.
Griffin described how her children helped her recognize she needed to address her past, recalling her daughter saying, “Mom, you are here, but you’re not really here.”
Although Griffin pursued legal action against her abuser, she emphasized that the true resolution came through her own healing process.Â
“This is not his story,” Griffin said.Â
“The Tell” is on sale now.
For more, you can listen to the The Oprah Podcast,which is available on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.