Book Review: While You Were Out by Meg Kissinger

Written by

While You Were Out by Meg Kissinger

Synopsis.

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 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 unfolding—a 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 family’s struggles then opens outward, as Kissinger details how childhood tragedy catalyzed a journalism career focused on exposing our country’s 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 family’s love and resilience in face of great loss.

Lets be Friends on Goodreads

The Review.

WHILE YOU WERE OUT Meg Kissinger WHILE YOU WERE OUT is part memoir, part investigative journalism, and altogether a reckoning. WHILE YOU WERE OUT takes the reader through Meg’s family history. Specifically her family’s ongoing battles with mental health over decades, over generations. We learn who in her family suffered. We learn how they suffered and we learn how Meg’s family dealt with it. The good, the bad, and everything in between. There is a lot of trauma discussed within the pages. There are tough conversations about suicide, addiction, church and faith, the government’s role in everything, and the human costs associated with ignoring the problem. At its heart- it’s heartfelt. Taking a subject that is hard to talk about and putting a face and a name to the statistics that are easy to ignore. This book is for everyone. Those who suffer and those who endure the suffering through loved ones. Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the advanced copy! WHILE YOU WERE OUT…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️