Book Review: Tears of the Silenced

Tears of the Silenced by Misty Griffin


Goodreads Summary:

Misty Griffin's story ─ Surviving child abuse, parental betrayal, sexual assault, and Amish cruelty.

A true crime memoir: When Misty 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 where they were subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse and extreme physical violence. Their step-father kept a loaded rifle by the door at all times to make sure the young girls were too terrified to try to escape. They also knew that no rescue would ever come because only a couple of people even knew they existed and did not know them well enough to care.

Amish Sexual abuse: When Misty reached her teens, her parents feared she and her sister would escape and took them to an Amish community where they were adopted and became baptized members. Misty was devastated to once again find herself in a world of fear, animal cruelty and sexual abuse. Going to the police was severely frowned upon. A few years later, Misty was sexually assaulted by the bishop. As Misty recalls, "Amish sexual abusers are only shunned by the church for six weeks, a punishment that never seems to work. After I was 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 the strange modern world with only a second-grade education and no ID or social security card. To all abuse survivors out there, please be encouraged, the cycle of abuse can be broken. Today, I am a nursing student working towards my master's degree and a child abuse awareness activist. This is my story."

If you have read Scared Selfless, A Child Called It, The Sound of Gravel, or Etched In Sand, then Tears of the Silenced is a must read.

My Review:
4/5 Stars

I want to preface this by saying I have little to no knowledge about the Amish community.  But this memoir by Misty Griffin was devastating and shocking with every page. The pain she experienced as a child is unimaginable, but her story of bravery and perseverance was inspiring. I also was confused and stunned by the Amish way of punishment for sexual offenders.

The experience she had with the police force not willing to investigate because of religious beliefs and turning a young child clearly in pain was astonishing  to me. Griffin did a good job explaining the  pain and misconduct done to her by her elders while not making it too graphic for readers.

Overall a good read for anyone that is interested in a true story about what happens behind close doors. It is an empowering story about struggle and misfortune, but Misty's perseverance to get the life she wanted and deserved.