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I Have a 'Tell Someone' Moment : A memoir
Some stories refuse to stay quiet.
In 2011, Miyelani Khosa posted on “I have a story to tell... I am the story.” She didn’t know then how many times life would strip her bare before she could keep that promise.
This is that story.
From Lulekani township to government corridors in Pretoria, from Cape Town’s isolating beauty to running a spaza shop back home in Phalaborwa, Miyelani navigates a world where ambition meets impossible odds. She survives workplace betrayal, financial collapse, single motherhood through adoption, a life altering diagnosis, and the unraveling of everything she thought would save her—including her faith.
Written in stolen moments between burnt pots and bedtime stories, this memoir captures what happens when survival stops being enough. When the breakthrough never comes. When you have to choose between bitterness and grace, between disappearing and telling your truth.
Told with searing honesty, sharp humor, and unexpected tenderness, I Have a ‘Tell Someone’ Moment is a meditation on resilience without redemption arcs, on dreaming when the world demands you settle, and on the fierce love required to keep choosing yourself when everything suggests you shouldn’t.
This isn’t a story about making it. It’s about what it costs to keep trying.
Perfect for readers who
Memoirs that feel like intimate conversations, not polished performancesAfrican women’s voices telling complex truths with wit and vulnerabilityStories of resilience that refuse toxic positivityBooks that make you laugh through tears and feel deeply seenFor fans Born a Crime by Trevor Noah • Educated by Tara Westover • Becoming by Michelle Obama • The Color of Water by James McBride
Praise for I Have a ‘Tell Someone’ Moment:
“A powerful story of grace and grit... Miyelani writes with a truth that feels like conversation and confession in equal measure.”
“This is South African literature at its finest—refusing easy narratives while offering profound humanity.”
MIYELANI KHOSA is a writer, mother, and creative entrepreneur from Phalaborwa, South Africa. She holds six formal qualifications across journalism, politics, and business leadership, but her real education came from starting over. This is her debut memoir.
In 2011, Miyelani Khosa posted on “I have a story to tell... I am the story.” She didn’t know then how many times life would strip her bare before she could keep that promise.
This is that story.
From Lulekani township to government corridors in Pretoria, from Cape Town’s isolating beauty to running a spaza shop back home in Phalaborwa, Miyelani navigates a world where ambition meets impossible odds. She survives workplace betrayal, financial collapse, single motherhood through adoption, a life altering diagnosis, and the unraveling of everything she thought would save her—including her faith.
Written in stolen moments between burnt pots and bedtime stories, this memoir captures what happens when survival stops being enough. When the breakthrough never comes. When you have to choose between bitterness and grace, between disappearing and telling your truth.
Told with searing honesty, sharp humor, and unexpected tenderness, I Have a ‘Tell Someone’ Moment is a meditation on resilience without redemption arcs, on dreaming when the world demands you settle, and on the fierce love required to keep choosing yourself when everything suggests you shouldn’t.
This isn’t a story about making it. It’s about what it costs to keep trying.
Perfect for readers who
Memoirs that feel like intimate conversations, not polished performancesAfrican women’s voices telling complex truths with wit and vulnerabilityStories of resilience that refuse toxic positivityBooks that make you laugh through tears and feel deeply seenFor fans Born a Crime by Trevor Noah • Educated by Tara Westover • Becoming by Michelle Obama • The Color of Water by James McBride
Praise for I Have a ‘Tell Someone’ Moment:
“A powerful story of grace and grit... Miyelani writes with a truth that feels like conversation and confession in equal measure.”
“This is South African literature at its finest—refusing easy narratives while offering profound humanity.”
MIYELANI KHOSA is a writer, mother, and creative entrepreneur from Phalaborwa, South Africa. She holds six formal qualifications across journalism, politics, and business leadership, but her real education came from starting over. This is her debut memoir.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 16, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 21, 2025
This ended up being much different than I was expecting. The "I have a tell someone moment..." is something I feel! I have that often.
I felt like that only came up once in the memoir. I was expecting the memoir to be more centered around having a tell someone moment.
Also there was a lot of religion and "god" references. When reading the description I was not expecting that at all. Not typically my cup of tea.
But overall I laughed, I cried. It was a good read and good memoir!
Thank you to NetGalley and Needle Formations for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I felt like that only came up once in the memoir. I was expecting the memoir to be more centered around having a tell someone moment.
Also there was a lot of religion and "god" references. When reading the description I was not expecting that at all. Not typically my cup of tea.
But overall I laughed, I cried. It was a good read and good memoir!
Thank you to NetGalley and Needle Formations for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review