“CBS Mornings” reading group discussion guide for “The Tell,” Oprah’s latest book club pick
Discuss the issue
1. Amy Griffin has been determined to move forward most of his adult life and never let himself stop and look back. Do you think it ultimately prompted her to want to revisit her past and then tell her story? Talk about the courage to face your past and share it with the world. Have you ever decided to reveal something you once felt you couldn’t share?
2. Amy is a star student in a small town in Texas, and upon arriving in New York, she became a high-ranking businesswoman. Talking about ambition is a traumatic reaction. Do you think Amy believes she can work hard (and surpass) her past? How does “Tell” remind you that people who seem to “have” are not always the same as they seem?
3. “Your body tells you what you don’t want to hear,” a physical therapist told Amy. How does her body’s message manifest? What messages has your body sent you over the years? What makes it difficult for you to hear messages sent by your body?
4. John supports Amy’s decision to try treatment with Olivia, who strives to make the family’s life floating around the home while she takes the time to deal with her discoveries. But John also understands his limits, telling Amy when he needs to find external support so that he can become her husband. How did he know when to place this boundary? How did Amy react to this? Have you ever had to set difficult boundaries to maintain relationships?
5. Will you try psychedelic assistive therapy? Why or why not?
6. “I need to find evidence that confirms my memory,” Amy wrote in her diary. Why do you think Amy needs someone else to confirm that what she knows is true?
7. What did you learn about how memory works from “The Tell” and Amy’s meeting with Lauren? For example, consider the difference between memory storage and memory recall. What is the most surprising thing you find?
8. “My daughter asks me to be involved in life and relationships in ways I can’t do it.” How does Amy’s child trigger her memories and help her recover?
9. Over the years, Amy remembers many details about the abuse, but without the abuse itself. She saw the clue, but didn’t see all the pictures of the trauma. “Tell” how to make you think or rethink – your own life events and memories? Maybe you can’t or don’t want to remember? Have you ever been surprised by “unlocking” unexpected memories?
10. Amy began to feel justice would shut her down. Paul’s story is both helpful and rare Amy’s example? How will it affect her when she realizes that her story may not have been as neat or satisfactory as it turns out?
11. What does she feel like to tell her parents? Have you ever had a difficult conversation with your parents about childhood? What have you learned through yourself or through conversations about them?
12. Amy grew up in the traditional patriarchal Texas culture. Expect children to respect and obey elders. How did our childhood environment and the culture we raise achieve our adult choices? How does our context affect what we can and cannot face in our personal history?
13. Amy recognizes her resources and time to be committed to rehabilitation and pursuing legal cases. How are the abuse and survival differences among people without the same resources? How do financial and class privileges protect you from pain?
14. At the beginning of the journey, Amy was unable to “tell” her secret. By the end, she realized “say it’s medicine.” How to tell her story to help Amy heal?
15. How did Amy give herself the closure she needed?
16. Who do you think wrote the postcard? Is the identity of the author important?
17. Your biggest gain is “The Tell”?
