What do you think?
Tears of the Silenced: An Amish True Crime Memoir of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Brutal Betrayal, and Ultimate Survival
Surviving Severe Child Abuse, Sexual Assault and Leaving the Amish ChurchIn May 2022 Misty Griffin released the Child Rights Act petition calling on Congress to take action and help abused children in religious communities. It is currently gaining momentum and national media attention.
Watch Sins of the Amish on Peacock
#1 Best Seller in Cults & Demonism, Parenting & Relationships, Notable People, Religious, Survival, Sexual Assault, and Biographies & Memoirs
A gripping story that takes you on the journey of a child abuse and sexual assault survivor turned activist. (Photo gallery included).
True story of child abuse. When Misty Griffin 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 and subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse, and physical violence. Their step-father kept a loaded rifle by the door to make sure the young girls were too terrified to attempt escape. No rescue would ever come since the few people who knew they existed did not care.
Sexual abuse among the Amish. When Misty reached her teens, her parents feared she and her sister would escape and took them to an Amish community. Devastated to again find herself in a world of fear, cruelty, and abuse, Misty was sexually 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 a strange modern world with only a second-grade education and no ID or social security card." Ultimately Misty graduated nursing school and currently works as an activist for abused children.
Inside learn
A cycle of abuse can be brokenAbuse was not your faultMoving forward is possibleRead true crime books and child abuse true stories like Educated, A Child Called It, The Family Next Door, or Etched In Sand? Then Tears of the Silenced is a must-read.
Watch Sins of the Amish on Peacock
#1 Best Seller in Cults & Demonism, Parenting & Relationships, Notable People, Religious, Survival, Sexual Assault, and Biographies & Memoirs
A gripping story that takes you on the journey of a child abuse and sexual assault survivor turned activist. (Photo gallery included).
True story of child abuse. When Misty Griffin 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 and subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse, and physical violence. Their step-father kept a loaded rifle by the door to make sure the young girls were too terrified to attempt escape. No rescue would ever come since the few people who knew they existed did not care.
Sexual abuse among the Amish. When Misty reached her teens, her parents feared she and her sister would escape and took them to an Amish community. Devastated to again find herself in a world of fear, cruelty, and abuse, Misty was sexually 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 a strange modern world with only a second-grade education and no ID or social security card." Ultimately Misty graduated nursing school and currently works as an activist for abused children.
Inside learn
A cycle of abuse can be brokenAbuse was not your faultMoving forward is possibleRead true crime books and child abuse true stories like Educated, A Child Called It, The Family Next Door, or Etched In Sand? Then Tears of the Silenced is a must-read.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 15, 2025
About the author
Misty Griffin
9 books858 followersMisty Griffin is the author of her best selling memoir Tears of the Silenced. Misty wrote her memoir to raise awareness about child abuse and sexual assault cover up among the Amish and other strict religious groups.
Misty Griffin’s inspiring story takes you through her ordeal as a severely abused child and then her experiences as a young woman in an Amish community- a place where pedophilia was never reported or punished - and finally her escape and efforts to save her sister and bring the perpetrators to justice, all while adapting to a modern life she had never known.
Now a Registered Nurse, happily married and with a child of her own, Misty has dedicated her life to making a difference.
Misty has also been to D.C, accompanied by her former Mennonite friend Jasper Hoffman and spoken personally to a member of congress about sexual assault and child abuse among the Amish and Mennonites.
Misty hopes to pass legislation to mandate reporting of child abuse in cloistered communities such as the Amish and to extend Erin’s Law - which mandates age-appropriate sex abuse prevention education in public schools - to private schools and religious communities. Misty’s change.org petition #invisible calls on Congress, the Senate and President Biden to take action.
You can sign the petition on Misty's website https://www.mistygriffin.com/
Email Misty at mistyegriffin@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @Misty_E_Griffin
Misty Griffin’s inspiring story takes you through her ordeal as a severely abused child and then her experiences as a young woman in an Amish community- a place where pedophilia was never reported or punished - and finally her escape and efforts to save her sister and bring the perpetrators to justice, all while adapting to a modern life she had never known.
Now a Registered Nurse, happily married and with a child of her own, Misty has dedicated her life to making a difference.
Misty has also been to D.C, accompanied by her former Mennonite friend Jasper Hoffman and spoken personally to a member of congress about sexual assault and child abuse among the Amish and Mennonites.
Misty hopes to pass legislation to mandate reporting of child abuse in cloistered communities such as the Amish and to extend Erin’s Law - which mandates age-appropriate sex abuse prevention education in public schools - to private schools and religious communities. Misty’s change.org petition #invisible calls on Congress, the Senate and President Biden to take action.
You can sign the petition on Misty's website https://www.mistygriffin.com/
Email Misty at mistyegriffin@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @Misty_E_Griffin
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 12, 2026
Wow! Such an emotional journey for Misty! And so eye opening how religion can act as armour against prosecution to some of the cruelest acts a person can do.
July 12, 2026
Listened to this one, three stars for writing style and narration, five stars for bravery.
This story seemed so inconceivable at the start, it's one thing for a woman to run off with her young daughters and abusive boyfriend, but to then decide to be Amish (having no connection to any such community) and live rough in the middle of nowhere with no amenities? And then take relatives into the household solely because they receive checks from the government? This was five miles of bad road and I ached for all of the victims of this diabolical pair.
It is a sad state of affairs that not one adult in these girls' lives saw fit to call CPS on these parents, although their contact with the outside world was few and far between. The second chapter of the girls' lives is when they join an actual Amish community. There, they find a modicum of love and community, and unfortunately, more monsters.
This story seemed so inconceivable at the start, it's one thing for a woman to run off with her young daughters and abusive boyfriend, but to then decide to be Amish (having no connection to any such community) and live rough in the middle of nowhere with no amenities? And then take relatives into the household solely because they receive checks from the government? This was five miles of bad road and I ached for all of the victims of this diabolical pair.
It is a sad state of affairs that not one adult in these girls' lives saw fit to call CPS on these parents, although their contact with the outside world was few and far between. The second chapter of the girls' lives is when they join an actual Amish community. There, they find a modicum of love and community, and unfortunately, more monsters.
April 16, 2026
An outstanding memoir of Misty’s resilience despite systematic abuse she suffered from her family and the Amish. This has opened my eyes to what abuse can look like among religious groups and how so many are silenced within that. Thank you, Misty, for being so bold and brave in sharing your story. May it lead many others to freedom and healing!
May 8, 2026
This was an incredible tale and what Misty has endured and survived is heartbreaking. She has told her story very well with great continuity and the right balance of her opinions/emotions and the facts which has created a deep and impactful story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews