Tears of the Silenced: A True Crime and an American Tragedy; Severe Child Abuse and Leaving the Amish

Based on a true story.

In this courageous account the author draws the reader into her terrifying life as a severely abused child and the confusion she felt when her step-father forced the family to start dressing and living like the Amish. In the following years, Misty and her sister endured a childhood of physical and sexual abuse on an isolated ranch. They were not allowed to go to school or talk without raising their hands. If they did not meet their work quotas throughout the day they were severely beaten.

At the age of eighteen, Misty attempted to escape and a few months later she and her sister were taken to an Amish community where they were adopted and became baptized members. For three and a half years Misty lived as a young Amish woman and in accordance with Amish tradition, she was silent about the abuse she witnessed and endured. Then one morning after a brutal sexual assault she found herself running again and this time she made it to the police station. Shaken and confused she filed a sexual assault report against the bishop of her church. Her life was about to change forever and the strange modern world was almost as frightening as the abusive situation she was fleeing.

Tears of the Silenced is both horrifying and inspirational. Today, twelve years later, Misty is a wife, nursing student, and one of the leading voices for child abuse awareness in the United States.