While You Were Out Audiobook Libro.fm

From awardwinning journalist Meg Kissinger a searing memoir of a family besieged by mental illness as well as an incisive exploration of the systems that failed them and a testament to the love that sustained them

Growing up in the 1960s in the suburbs of Chicago Meg Kissingers family seemed to live a charmed life With eight kids and two loving parents the Kissingers radiated a warm boisterous energy Whether they were spending summer days on the shores of Lake Michigan barreling down the ski slopes or navigating the trials of their Catholic school the Kissingers always knew how to live large and play hard

But behind closed doors a harsher reality was unfoldinga heavily medicated mother hospitalized for anxiety and depression a manic father prone to violence and children in the throes of bipolar disorder and depression two of whom would take their own lives Through it all the Kissingers faced the world with their signature dark humor and the unspoken family rule never talk about it

While You Were Out begins as the personal story of one familys struggles then opens outward as Kissinger details how childhood tragedy catalyzed a journalism career focused on exposing our countrys flawed mental health care Combining the intimacy of memoir with the rigor of investigative reporting the book explores the consequences of shame the havoc of botched public policy and the hope offered by new treatment strategies

Powerful candid and filled with surprising humor this is the story of one familys love and resilience in face of great loss

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books