The Tell (Oprah's Book Club)

by Amy Griffin

Like so many women, I have been conditioned not to take up too much space.

Growing up in the South, you understand quickly the ocean that separates appearance and reality, particularly for women.

It was bred into you, between school, church, and southern morality, that a woman was meant to look pretty, take care of the kids, and somehow maintain the appearance of chastity while doing it.

multiple stories could be true at the same time, that we select our narratives in accordance with how honest we want to be and how honest we can be with ourselves.

I was done participating in a culture where men felt entitled to my body.