Tears of the silenced

By Misty Griffin

Book Description

In this powerful memoir, Misty Griffin courageously shares her journey from unimaginable darkness toward healing and purpose. Beginning at age four when her mother remarries, Misty and her younger sister endure fourteen years of severe abuse while being isolated from the outside world and indoctrinated into believing that Amish-style living represents their only path to salvation.

When the sisters are eventually brought to an Amish community in rural Minnesota, eighteen-year-old Misty initially feels relief from her previous torment. She learns German, adopts a new name, and becomes a baptized member of the community. However, when she experiences sexual assault by a church leader and refuses to remain silent about the attack, she discovers the painful reality of a system that demands victims forgive their abusers and suppress their trauma.

Misty's decision to involve law enforcement leads to her shunning by the entire Amish community, leaving her cast into the modern world with no identification, no social security number, and only a second-grade education. Despite these overwhelming obstacles and her struggle with severe PTSD, she demonstrates remarkable resilience as she pursues her GED and works toward her dream of becoming a medical missionary.

This memoir reveals both the devastating impact of institutional silence and the transformative power of refusing to be silenced. Griffin's story offers hope for anyone seeking to break free from systems that perpetuate harm and find their authentic voice.