Book description
From award-winning 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 Kissinger’s family seemed…
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Why read it?
1 author picked While You Were Out as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Meg Kissinger is brave to write a memoir about challenging issues and share her story. Although the issues are tough and challenging - grief, and mental illness, they are personal and themes that resonated with me. Meg grew up in suburban Chicago during the 1960's and a family that presented itself what on the outside conflicted what was inside. Both her parents struggled with mental illness, and two of her siblings took their own lives. As a journalist, Meg devoted decades advocating for flaws in the mental health system. While You Were Out is beautiful written with heart, compassion, and…
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On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
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