Don't Tell

A small town, a big house, no place to hide a family's shame.

In a quiet South Dakota town, family reputation meant everything-and secrets were never spoken aloud.

Born in 1943 alongside her twin sister Emilie, Emma Katherine Kopriva grew up in a home shaped by silence. While Emma was known as "the Well Twin," Emilie lived with profound disabilities that would eventually lead to lifelong institutionalization. Behind church attendance, academic achievement, and small-town respectability lay depression, alcoholism, grief, and the heavy burden of caring for those no one knew how to help.

For decades, Emma carried the weight of survivor's guilt and the unspoken rule that family struggles must remain hidden. Only later in life did she begin to confront the cost of that silence.

With honesty, compassion, and deep spiritual reflection, Don't Tell! Explores the lasting impact of family secrets, the complicated bonds between siblings, and the courage it takes to finally speak the truth.

This powerful memoir is a story of resilience, faith, and the healing that begins when silence is broken.