Reviews with content warning for Violence - While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence

this book is an intimate portrait of one family’s struggle with mental illness and the lack of a mental health system to support their health and wellbeing. how difficult it is to crawl your way from underneath the suffocating weight of a mental health condition that is left either untreated or mistreated. about how a family scrambles to understand how to support each other with minimal resources and no adequate professional support. it’s an important read, bringing life and humanity to the impact of the lack of a comprehensive mental health system

but… i felt no emotional connection to any of the family members, or the author. and the author continually insinuates there was violence and physical abuse in the home, but never processes it or its connection on her and her siblings mental well-being

and i think the author tried to minimize the extent of her brother’s anti-semitism by equating this behavior to a symptom of his mental illness; it felt very problematic

still lol’ing at the goodreads review i read that said this book was “too much about mental illness” ????

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kelly_e's review

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Title: While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence
Author: Meg Kissinger
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: September 5, 2023

I received a complimentary eARC from Celadon Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Candid • Traumatic • Impactful

📖 S Y N O P S I S

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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I have a keen interest in books (particularly memoirs) that tackle and advocate for mental health issues, so I was grateful to be offered an advanced reader copy of While You Were Out. I was unaware of who Meg Kissinger was ahead of picking this one up, yet I quickly came to hold a special place for her and her siblings in my heart.

Meg tells her family's story in a moving, yet professional manner. She combines personal memories and experiences with steadfast research to deliver a heartfelt exposé of a system failing the most vulnerable of people. From a young age the Kissinger family was faced with continual heartbreak, and yet somehow Meg is still here to tell their story. This is a memoir that will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you empathize. And it will make you angry at a system designed to fail.

While You Were Out is an important and impactful addition to the growing list of mental health literature. I could not put it down. It's a memoir I won't soon forget, and will be continually recommending. If you do decide to pick this one up, I'd definitely suggest proceeding with care for yourself.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• memoir readers
• fans of Educated and/or The Glass Castle
• mental health advocates

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"This is what telling your story can do, she told them. It can bring the dead back to life - not in the same way but as a kind of transformation. It doesn't take away the injury, but it can give you a feeling of power when you are in control of the narrative. The balance is shifted back to you. There's new life, resurrected."

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