I'm Telling : A Novel [Hardcover]

Karen E. Quinones Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2002

Eleven-year-old Faith Freeman has a secret: She saw her stepfather molesting her twin sister, Hope. This unspoken truth clouds family relations for almost twenty years, until Faith decides she's had enough heavy weather. As if juggling her career as a New York literary agent, a loving relationship with her boyfriend, Henry, and the care of her aging (and agitated) mother weren't enough, Faith takes on the burden of her twin's wounded psyche. So damaged was Hope at the hands of incestuous "Papa" that the crackhouses of Harlem and prostitution on the boulevards of Queens beckon as an escape from an all-too-painful reality.

Just when Hope seems on the verge of turning herself around, she enacts a betrayal so unforgivable that the sisterly bond she so desperately -- yet secretly -- desires may be severed forever. With her whole family watching, Faith must call upon her gifts of language, compassion, and understanding to save her sister and herself.

For anyone who has ever chosen between speaking up and backing down, "I'm Telling" is the story of one family's darkest hour that lights the way toward love and redemption.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Incest, drug addiction, publishing intrigue and a lesbian wedding are just a few of the outrageous plot elements juggled in Miller's second novel, a disjointed and often lurid story about the ups and downs of a young black woman whose family has a major flair for histrionics. Faith Freeman is the 30-ish protagonist who has a great life with her boyfriend, a former coke dealer turned investment banker named Henry Prince, as well as a budding career as a New York literary agent with a brainy, lesbian business partner. But the cross she bears is her troubled family, most notably her twin sister, Hope, a crack whore who was molested at 10 by their stepfather and then went on to sleep with her mother's subsequent men. Miller (Satin Doll) creates a freewheeling cast of flawed characters, setting up a jarring stylistic juxtaposition between the lighthearted romantic scenes involving Faith and Henry, some similarly easygoing work sequences that portray cantankerous clients and landmark authors (including a thinly disguised Walter Mosley character) and the ongoing eruptions among Faith, Hope and their troubled mother, Irene. While she does manage to fit all the pieces together, many of the family scenes are planted firmly in Jerry Springer territory: Hope's severe emotional problems are too often presented in a titillating manner that borders on exploitation. But overall, it's certainly not boring.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

At the age of 10, Faith was certain that her twin sister, Hope, and her stepfather "were doing bad things." When she actually sees them in a compromising position, her disgust, fear, and anger compel Faith to tell her mother, Irene, who makes the difficult decision to choose her relationship with Papa over the safety of her daughter. Almost 20 years later, Papa abandons Irene, who eagerly replaces him with another boyfriend. The family secret has taken a heavy toll on the twins: Faith is involved with Henry, the man who rescued her as a teenager from her stepfather and her unbearable home life; Hope is battling drug addiction, promiscuity, and homelessness. It isn't until Hope jeopardizes Faith's relationship with Henry that the family finally acknowledges the depth and burden of Hope's victimization. Miller deftly shares the pain and desperation of a family shaken to the core by incest. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (July 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743214358
• ISBN-13: 978-0743214353
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,310,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Essence best selling and NAACP Literary Award Nominee, Karen E. Quinones Miller was born and raised in Harlem in 1958. Miller dropped out of school during the eighth grade, and spent the majority of her teenage years experiencing street life first-hand. After getting a job as a police attendant in New York City's Midtown North police precinct, Miller became friends with a number of police officers who persuaded her that the life she was living could lead to an early death.

So at age 22, Miller joined the Navy and after spending five years in the Navy, Miller married, had a child and divorced all within a two-year period. At age 29, she got a secretarial job with The Philadelphia Daily News, but after three years complaining about the paper's coverage of people living below the poverty level she quit and started taking journalism classes at Temple University.

After graduation she became a newspaper reporter, and worked for the Associated Press, The Norfolk Virginian Pilot, and lastly for The Philadelphia Inquirer where she was employed for nine years. She also worked as a correspondent for People Magazine from 1996 to 1999.
Miller wrote Satin Doll in 1999, and after many unsuccessful attempts at finding a publisher, decided to publish it herself. She sold 28,000 copies on her own, and Satin Doll wound up on the Essence Bestseller's List for two months. Publishing rights were sold to Simon & Schuster (via auction) for six figures.

Miller went on to write five other Essence Bestselling novels for Simon & Schuster, Warner Books, and Grand Central Books: I'm Telling, Using What You Got (both were main selections for Black Expressions Book Club), Ida B. (which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction.), Satin Nights and Passin'.

Best selling author Kwan Foye has often publicly referred to Miller as "The Aretha Franklin of Black Publishing." Miller, who is included in the book Literary Divas: The Top 100+ Most Admired African-American Women In Literature, often gives publishing and self-publishing seminars in her home and Philadelphia, and is the CEO of Oshun Publishing Company. Miller has been often cited for her willingness to help aspiring authors, and Essence best selling authors Daaimah S. Poole, and Miasha are just two of the young writers who consider Miller their mentor.

Miller's new book, An Angry A** Black Woman, will be published by Karen Hunter Books in 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, Compelling Read, August 3, 2002

By 

Kanika Wade (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm Telling : A Novel (Hardcover)

If you are looking for a powerful, compelling read that brings together the themes of family ties, incest, love, & conquering the odds then you will find an amazing read with Karen E. Miller's I'm Telling.

In I'm Telling we are introduced to twins Faith and Hope. The ladies come from a family where they experienced the tremendous impact of incest. While Faith has strived to move onward with her life and has a thriving literary career and loving relationship, Hope on the other hand has gone toward the path of drugs and sex. Hope also carries the heavy burden that she is to blame for the incest at the hands of their stepfather. As Faith reaches out to help her troubled twin and work to heal the pain of their childhoods, their relationship is placed to the test as a betrayal arises that is so great that it could destroy their sisterly bond forever.

Karen does an amazing job of presenting above mentioned issues and doesn't sugarcoat any of them. She presents these issues in a strong and realistic manner which for many will truly hit home. This story was truly one that moved me from beginning to end and I connected to the characthers as they went through their trials and triumphs. If you haven't read I'm Telling, I would highly recommend it for you will truly be moved. Karen Miller is an author that you should add to your "to read list".

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Amazing, September 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: I'm Telling : A Novel (Hardcover)

This book was recommended to me by a close friend. In fact, she literally dragged me into the bookstore to buy it. Once I read it,I understood why. This book if filled with drama. Not the kind that makes you feel dirty for liking, but the kind that keeps you turning the page out of concern for the characters that you've come to know and love.

Not all of the characters are loveable, of course, but I couldn't help rooting for Hope in spite of all the dirty things she did to her mother and to her sister. With the mother I thought she was a little justified, but I still can't understand why she would want to hurt Faith who only wanted to help her.

I'm going to stop there, because I don't want to be one of the reviewers who give away the whole plot of book (don't you just hate those reviews?), but I will say that I think Ms. Quinones-Miller did a wonderful job in writing this book. I was planning on picking it up anyway becasue i enjoyed her first book, Satin Doll, but I'm glad I got around to reading this book sooner rather than later.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!!, August 17, 2002

By 

Nicole McCurty (Chesapeake, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm Telling : A Novel (Hardcover)

In her sophomore novel, I'm Telling, Karen E. Quinones Miller has a definite hit on her hands. The story of twins, Faith and Hope, will stay with readers for years to come.

Faith, a literary agent, appears to have it all with her successful business and her faithful lover Henry. But her family leaves something to be desired. Her sister, Hope, is into every illegal activity known to man and her mother, Miss Irene, is Queen of De-Nial.

This novel takes a new approach to the subject of sexual abuse of a child. Instead of focusing on the act itself, we are shown the effects of the aftermath of the victim and other members of the family. We are also treated to the fairytale romance of Henry and Faith. Despite the terrible conditions under which they met, they manage to persevere and stick together through all the craziness.

I would definitely recommend to all readers who appreciate a well written story and I look forward to Miller's next novel.

Reviewed by Nicole

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