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. Her story begins at age four when she and her younger sister are torn from their father and thrust into a world of severe abuse and isolation under their mother and stepfather's control. For fourteen years, the sisters endure physical and psychological torment while being indoctrinated into believing that adopting Amish dress and customs represents their only path to salvation.

When the family relocates to a rural Minnesota Amish community, eighteen-year-old Misty initially feels relief from her stepfather's threats. She learns German, adopts a new name, and becomes a baptized church member. However, her sense of safety shatters when she faces sexual assault from a church bishop and discovers the community's tradition of silencing abuse victims through forced forgiveness and social pressure.

Refusing to remain quiet, Misty involves law enforcement and faces the devastating consequence of shunning from her entire community. Cast into the modern world with no identification, no social security number, and only a second-grade education, she must rebuild her life from nothing while battling severe PTSD and nightmares.

Griffin's narrative reveals both the sting of abandonment and the strength found in standing for truth. As she pursues her GED and dreams of becoming a medical missionary, readers witness a remarkable transformation from victim to advocate for the silenced.