Latest news with #TheTell
TimesLIVE
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Exclusive Books' recommended May reads
For anyone looking for the perfect book club read, Emily Henry delivers that in Great Big Beautiful Life. Writers Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson are tasked with competing for the chance to write the memoir of once-famed, now-reclused socialite Margaret Ives. With six months to write a compelling draft each, Alice and Hayden's own story starts to tangle as they grow closer as they spend more time together. Push the limit in Unsolicited, a thrilling debut from Andrea Shaw, with twists and turns sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. We meet Fatima Matthews, a quick-witted and sharp-eyed detective juggling a murder case, a plagiarism scandal and the chaos of menopause. Detective Matthews must face her frailties as the threats escalate and the chance to redeem herself starts to slip away. Their non-fiction selection for May is a combination of topical reads for anyone wary of AI, inspiring stories for much-loved figures and reflective reads for rainy days. Find comfort with Sameer Rawjee in the growing integration of AI in our daily lives in Taking the Anxiety out of AI, a helpful guide outlining the co-existence of human talent and the power of technology. Oprah's Book Club pick The Tell by Amy Griffin is a heartfelt memoir exploring memory, trauma and the healing power of time. Prompted by Griffin's 10-year-old daughter wishing to close the distance between them, Griffin is propelled to confront what she spent her life running from. Feel inspired by the journey of the greatest Formula One driver of all time in the definitive biography of Lewis Hamilton, Sir Lewis by Michael E Sawyer. From karting on local tracks to becoming a seven-time world champion, this biography examines the legacy of an icon on and off the grid. Markus Zusak brings a poignant, funny and disarmingly honest memoir of family, love and companionship in Three Wild Dogs and the Truth. Zusak shares the story of his family's adoption of three wily rescue dogs and the madness, hilarity and inseparable relationships that ensued. Discover the history of the SA film industry in Hollywood on the Veld by Ted Botha. Secretive millionaire IW Schlesinger had ambitions to rival Hollywood from a film studio in Killarney. This is the never-before-told story of the rise and fall of the strangest, most unique empire ever.
Vox
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Vox
Are repressed memories real? A hit memoir clashes with the science.
writes about pop culture, media, and ethics. Before joining Vox in 2016, they were a staff reporter at the Daily Dot. A 2019 fellow of the National Critics Institute, they're considered an authority on fandom, the internet, and the culture wars. What if something terrible happened to you, and you weren't able to remember it? That's one of the questions at the center of Amy Griffin's memoir, The Tell, which is quickly becoming one of the year's most talked-about books. Griffin's buzzy bestseller doesn't offer easy answers or tidy conclusions about its dark subject matter — its author's sexual assault by a trusted teacher as a preteen — which only seems to make her story about recovering harrowing memories of the abuse after trying psychedelic therapy all the more powerful for readers. Griffin's status as a high-powered investor and Silicon Valley 'girlboss' working with companies like Goop and Bumble gave her attention in high places. She has the support of book club titans like Oprah Winfrey, Jenna Bush Hager, and Reese Witherspoon. Elle praised the memoir as 'a new kind of story about abuse.' According to Elle, it 'isn't a book about trauma, it's an investigation of what happened to Griffin and of the ways that the pressure to achieve perfection damages girls and women.' Kirkus Reviews summarized the book as 'an important, wholly believable account of how long-buried but profoundly formative experiences finally emerge.' Yet at the book's center is a particularly thorny issue: that of repressed memories, which are considered an impossibility by most research psychologists and neuroscientists but touted by many therapists who work directly with patients. A repressed memory is one in which, allegedly, a memory that previously didn't exist of a previously unknown experience suddenly appears. Such memories are routinely depicted as real throughout pop culture, and while The Tell confronts the possibility that they may be false, Griffin herself quickly loses all doubt. Add in the potentially dicey treatment that Griffin underwent: psychedelic MDMA therapy. Despite reportedly helping patients with trauma and PTSD, it has yet to win federal approval in the US. Technically, it's illegal. As The Tell continues to dominate the New York Times bestseller list, how should we think about the less-than-legal therapy that inspired it and the splashy, concerning revelations that came next? The complicated therapy at The Tell's core A lifelong runner, Griffin uses her hobby as a metaphor for the pressure she places on herself, not only to succeed but to avoid confronting her own trauma. This is how she pushes through her overachieving childhood; through a horrifying date rape in college; through a busy life juggling work, home, and family. But all this running isn't just toward the next achievement — it's away from something deeper she just can't name. At one point, her then 10-year-old daughter tells Griffin that she and her sister don't feel connected to her. 'We don't feel like we know who you are,' Griffin recounts her saying. 'You're nice, but you're not real.' This rejection inspires her to look deeper within, and her husband John introduces her to the therapist whose MDMA sessions he's benefited from. Rebecca Lemov, a historian of behavioral science and author of the new book The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyper-Persuasion, points out that there's a clear appeal to psychedelic therapy: 'I'm sure the drugs make it more fun,' Lemov said, 'and especially if you're experiencing PTSD, you probably are thinking, the least I can have to deal with this is a little bit of ecstasy.' MDMA therapy proponents proclaim that the drug promotes empathy and well-being, which has benefits for PTSD treatment. Though the treatment came remarkably close to FDA approval, the fact it was being considered was a step forward that underscores its growing popularity. Research indicates that it can induce vivid memories and can help patients revisit their traumatic experiences without any accompanying fear or anxiety. Generally speaking, though, MDMA therapy is thought to help patients process difficult memories, not recover them. Typically, prior to the actual therapy session, patients will have a few preparation meetings where their therapist sets their expectations about the drug. Griffin tells the therapist she's 'talking around' something, saying, 'I don't know what it is. It's like I can't remember. Or maybe I don't want to remember.' In her own telling, it's not clear whether she actually even needed the drugs to recall the memory or whether, as her longtime friend Gwyneth Paltrow recently suggested to her, things in her life had just 'aligned' at the right time. Before the drugs have even kicked in, we're told, Griffin's mind supplies her with a visceral flashback of being sexually assaulted by a trusted middle school teacher. Although Griffin is initially horrified and confused, she returns for further sessions, uncovering more memories of what she claims was a prolonged period of abuse that lasted through part of middle school and then recurred once more during her teen years. While the flashbacks themselves are harrowing, she describes her encounters with them as deeply cathartic, writing, ''I did nothing wrong.' I exhaled, accepting it. 'This all happened.'' The science — and messy reality of — repressed memories It's clear from The Tell that Griffin's revelations are a relief to her, and her self-conception as a survivor is firm. But the science on recovering events from the past is less certain. We owe the concept of repressed memories to — who else? — Sigmund Freud. In the late 1890s, Freud developed a theory that children could recall forgotten traumatic memories with therapeutic coaxing. However, he soon abandoned that theory, later writing that while the children he studied were remembering a variety of lurid scenes, 'I was at last obliged to recognize that these scenes of seduction had never taken place, and that they were only phantasies which my patients had made up or which I myself had perhaps forced on them.' Fast-forward to the late 1970s and '80s, when psychotherapists returned to Freud's abandoned theories. As psychologist Richard Beck details in his book We Believe the Children: A Moral Panic in the 1980s, they were looking to explain what they claimed were thousands of Satanic ritual abuse and extreme domestic abuse cases being recalled by their patients. Today, it's well-known that memory can be extremely malleable, and we now know these particular claims to have been entirely manufactured as part of a widespread cultural hysteria. Yet many of the therapists who perpetrated the Satanic Panic continue to have influence. Some, like the controversial therapist group International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, still fixate on likely fictional causes of trauma in children such as mind control and organized ritual abuse. And many of the pseudoscience-based therapy techniques of the '80s, such as hypnosis, are still with us today. The Tell — which arrives with an avalanche of stories mainstreaming the idea of repressed memories — appears at a moment when pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, and debunked medical techniques are all making an aggressive resurgence. The focus on trauma as the pivotal underlying cause has continued to dominate the public's understanding of memory loss. And that makes sense — after all, amnesia and other kinds of memory blackouts are real; why wouldn't repressed memories, sometimes called dissociative amnesia, function in a similar way? Because memories aren't made that way, explains Lawrence Patihis, a scientist specializing in memory reliability. Scientific research has shown that people who experience traumatic events are more likely to remember them with full accuracy, not less. While many therapists — roughly half of licensed psychologists in one study — believe in the possibility of recovered memories, the scientific evidence for it just isn't there. Reliable science on memory, Patihis emphasizes, comes from cognitive psychology and extensive, well-defined quantitative data using random subjects in large-scale experiments, rather than individual case studies. 'The good science is slow,' he said. 'It's careful.' It's also consistent with research on other areas of memory. The research shows what is likely to happen when a person experiences trauma, Patihis said: 'It tells us, first of all, it will be well remembered. Second of all, PTSD symptoms will be highest immediately after the trauma and fade over time. It is not the case that PTSD will suddenly occur in 2020 when somebody starts going to therapy. That is a bad sign. That's not how real trauma works.' Patients with PTSD can lose track of their traumatic memories over time and then remember them — but, Patihis emphasizes, that's not a repressed memory, it's a forgotten one. Recent research has found that memories are inscribed as neural patterns that can be overwritten. Traumatic memories are typically quicker to form neural patterns than other memories and they're harder, not easier, to overwrite. What's likely happening instead is that a combination of factors, probably different for every individual, are leading the patient to believe they've had a memory when they haven't, or believe a memory is newly revealed when it's not. In the case of drug-assisted therapy, they could easily mistake a hallucination for a memory. And it's also always possible that they could simply not be telling the truth, either about the memory or the idea that they had not previously recalled it. Why we can't totally ignore repressed memory claims Simply dismissing all instances of repressed memories, however, gets complicated. For one thing, repressed and recovered memories can frequently play a role in people's experience of dissociative identity disorder, which, while not well understood, reportedly impacts millions of people. For another, despite the research of scientists like Patihis that casts doubt on memory repression, the psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-5, includes dissociative amnesia as a reason why trauma survivors may forget key aspects of their trauma. Its inclusion is a sign of its increasing acceptance among practicing clinicians. Another ongoing concern is simply the power and importance of a narrative like Griffin's. If we adhere to science that undermines survivors' experience of their abuse, who is that science really serving — especially given that survivors are frequently disbelieved to begin with? What if the abuse is real, even if the specific memory isn't? And if we truly want to believe abuse survivors, how do we reconcile a claim like that of Griffin's with the refuting science? Patihis acknowledges those are difficult questions — but for him, at least, the science is clear that trauma and memory repression aren't inherently linked. 'I think there's a correct answer scientifically to what's going on with memory,' he said, 'and the idea of repressed memories being reliable when they come back is not correct.' Patihis stresses that the idea of having and then overcoming a repressed memory through therapy is 'popular because there's a promise of cure. There's hope, and it's popular because a lot of people come to believe it.' That's not easy to discount, and Lemov, the historian and author, isn't sure we should. 'The author of The Tell reports profound healing from this experience,' she said. 'I would want to [ask], 'Can I open up a space for not knowing?'' Affirmation is one of the keys to successful therapy, after all, and it's significant that therapists, who have more direct contact with patients than researchers, are more likely to embrace their clients' realities. While Patihis holds that the best therapeutic results belong to patients who abandon their belief in repressed memory, the therapeutic process is what matters. 'I think clinicians have a responsibility to inform clients that memory distortions are possible in therapy, and then just let the client come to their own conclusion,' he said. 'And also, if they don't come to that conclusion on their own' — that is, that repressed memories are not a real phenomenon — 'you have to continue to do good therapy.' And that, he added, 'is so difficult.' The conversation poses new questions for him as a researcher: 'If I were a clinician and somebody brings to me memories that could be false, do I work with them through those memories as if they were real trauma? Oh my gosh.' That this core uncertainty lingers despite the knowledge that repressed memories have little scientific backing illustrates the complicated nature of therapy in an age where we know both more — and less — than ever.
CBC
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Why the most powerful celeb book clubs love The Tell
A new memoir has made book club history. The top three book club owners — Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Jenna Bush Hager — came together to celebrate the launch of Amy Griffin's new memoir, The Tell. The book shares the businesswoman's path to healing after MDMA-assisted therapy unearthed a long-hidden childhood trauma. Today on Commotion, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud speaks with The Cut's Emily Gould about her thoughts on the memoir, as well as what it means to have it lauded by the giants of the book club world. Interview with Emilly Gould produced by Jane van Koeverden.
Los Angeles Times
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The 10 best memoirs of the 2020s, from Mariah Carey to Michelle Zauner
Calling all bookworms! Welcome to the L.A. Times Book Club newsletter. Calling all bookworms! Welcome to the L.A. Times Book Club newsletter. I'm Meg. I write shut up and read, a book newsletter. I'm also on BookTok. I just flew through Amy Griffin's 'The Tell.' Her memoir — a powerful investigation of repressed memories, sexual trauma and the quest for perfection — took me less than two days to finish. Instead of walking to the gym, I took the train, just so I could have more time to read. Then I picked up Lauren Christensen's 'Firstborn.' My waking hours were at the mercy of the memoir, a moving account of the loss of her first child, Simone. I fought off sleep to keep reading and when I awoke, the book was the first thing I reached for. I turn to the stories of other people's lives to make sense of my own. There's no memoir I won't read, except for Melania Trump's. I'm a glutton for the juicy celebrity tell-all, but there is nothing like being surprised by an unexpected or unknown author. As we approach the decade's halfway mark, I thought I'd share some of my favorite memoirs from the past 5 years, as well as the titles I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this year. 'The Meaning of Mariah Carey' is best experienced as an audiobook. Carey's memoir is an incisive deep dive into her elusive persona. Come for the reflections on her long-spanning career — and the true account of her rags-to-riches story — but stay for Mimi bursting sporadically into song. André Leon Talley's 'The Chiffon Trenches' is also a wonderful audio experience. His distinctive voice oozes charisma and authority, and his front row seat to the fashion world provides 50 years' worth of stories—about Karl Lagerfeld, Diana Vreeland, and of course, Anna Wintour. Dr. Michele Harper pulls back the curtain on life as an emergency room physician in her debut memoir, 'The Beauty in Breaking.' Through her patients, Harper discovers how to heal, all while contending with the racism and sexism in an overwhelmingly white and male-dominated profession. 'Minor Feelings,' Cathy Park Hong's book of essays, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Memoir. In her collection, Park Hong blends cultural criticism and memoir to examine the covert racism that is pervasive in our country. Her work is a celebration of her identity as an Asian American artist and a call to question white colonialist notions. A member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Elissa Washuta unpacks the commodification of Native American spirituality in 'White Magic.' Through layered essays, Washuta explores the effects of colonialism on sacred practices, as well as her heritage, and her struggles with men, drugs and alcohol — and how magic runs through it all. When I first read 'Crying in H Mart' by Michelle Zauner, I stayed up all night to finish, and I wept the whole way through. In her debut memoir, Zauner (who performs under the alias Japanese Breakfast) celebrates mother Chongmi's life, and mourns her early death. Zauner's tender tribute — and reckoning of who she is without her mother — is transformative. Suleika Jaouad's 'Between Two Kingdoms' is one of those memoirs that will knock the wind out of you. Jaouad's world turns upside down when she receives a leukemia diagnosis at 23. Four years later, she has survived, but is unsure of how to reenter the world, so she set out on a 100-day road trip to find out. My copy of 'In Love' by Amy Bloom is stained with fat teardrops. After Brian Ameche, Bloom's husband, receives an Alzheimer's diagnosis, he decides to end his life on his own terms. Bloom details their journey to Switzerland, where a nonprofit offers legal suicide, and paints us full vignettes of their love story along the way. Ina Garten's 'Be Ready When the Luck Happens' is a a four-course meal — plus dessert. Garten's words sing off the page. Reading her memoir makes you feel like you're in the kitchen with her, and Jeffrey! Getting a glimpse into Garten's life story is fascinating, and her cheerful demeanor and can-do attitude will galvanize you to chase your dreams. 'Grief Is For People' by Sloane Crosley grapples with the complexities of loss. She shared a piece of advice in an opinion piece she wrote for The Times in 2024: 'Give the grieving person a reprieve from the interrogation, the lion's share of which they will conduct themselves. Give them this for the same reason you would offer to do their dishes or run their errands: so they can get some rest.' Honorable mentions: (Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to whose fees support independent bookstores.) Anyone who's anyone is going to be at The Times' Festival of Books next month, including National Book Award winner Percival Everett, 'Wicked' director Jon M. Chu and aughts pop icon Joanna 'Jojo' Levesque. Scheduled for April 26 and 27, the 30th anniversary of the annual literary festival brings more than 550 storytellers to the USC campus across seven outdoor stages and 15 indoor venues. Itching for a mystery? Here are the four best crime novels to read right now, taking you everywhere from Alaska to Maine to Kaua'i to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is pressing pause on his press tour for his new book following his vote to move forward with Republican spending legislation last week. In 'A Better Ending,' James Whitfield Thomson looks back on the events of summer 1974, when his younger sister Eileen died at the age of 27 from a gunshot wound to the chest. His sister's death was quickly ruled a suicide, although it bore all the hallmarks of murder. There have been so many noteworthy memoirs released in the last five years, and the next five promise to make this a decade filled with notable works. Here are 10 due out in 2025 we can't wait to read. See you in the stacks — or on Goodreads!
CBS News
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Oprah Winfrey names "The Tell" as latest book club selection
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. "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. "This is not his story," Griffin said. "The Tell" is on sale now.
