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875 reviews for:
While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence
Meg Kissinger
4.28 AVERAGE
875 reviews for:
While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence
Meg Kissinger
4.28 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Although I received an an advance digital copy of this one, I chose to wait until I could get my hands on the audio since that is my preferred format for memoirs. This one started a bit slow, but once I settled into Kissinger's story-telling style, I was very moved by her story. I think the way Kissinger (as well as her siblings) allowed all of the dark and difficult aspects of their pasts to be shared was poignant, and the healing that Meg embarks on while writing this memoir is very hopeful in the end. If you are someone whose family is entrenched in secrets and not addressing past traumas, I think you will find this to be a compelling memoir.
I love an intensive, journalistic approach to a topic but this felt as if it was lacking… something. Feelings and emotion, maybe? Details that could help us empathize with the family members, perhaps? I struggled to feel a connection to the author and her family members.
What a deep dive into how severe mental illness impacts families. I think this should be a required read for family therapy students, as well as anyone who desires to understand the impacts. I appreciate Kissinger’s sharing of her family’s story and the hope that it can bring to seek your own therapy. Not a light read, but a meaningful one.
Wow! How much tragedy is too much for one family? The Kissingers got their share and more. If anyone doubts that mental health issues are hereditary, they need look no further than this book for proof. The author tells of the mental health struggles of her parents, her multiple siblings, and to a lesser extent herself. I found it very interesting to learn about how her journalism career went on to focus on the mental health crisis in our country, and the impact she was able to have on mental health services and policy in Milwaukee. The author skillfully intertwined policy with her family story. For fans of Hidden Valley Road.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
DNF - couldn’t really get into this one, which surprised me as I usually like memoirs of this genre (Augusten Burroughs, Jeannette Walls). But high reviews from other people so I still recommend picking it up!
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced