Scan barcode
A review by inked_in_pages
While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence by Meg Kissinger
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
While You Were Out by Meg Kissinger
An emotional and intelligent memoir written by journalist Meg Kissinger, While You Were Out follows Kissinger's family as they grapple with the impacts of addiction, severe and persistent mental health and the stigma around each of those things in the 1960s and 1970s.
Kissinger writes her story in way that is both emotionally moving while also making room for her readers to understand the facts about mental health (or lack their of) in the 1970s. As a mental health care provider, I was proud of the way that Kissinger sheds light on the stigmatization of both while also calling out the dangers of swinging the pendulum too far and over correcting.
This memoir felt deeply personal to me as she wrote about her families struggles and the long term impacts of unspoken generational trauma. She puts her investigative journalism background to use taking the memoir a step further to discuss the policy changes over the years that have continued to displace those with severe and persistent mental illness and she does it in a way that is understandable.
I absolutely loved and appreciated Kissinger's vulnerability, raw story telling and gumption in sharing this must read memoir. I will be recommending to many of my coworkers, colleagues and even some clients in the future.
An emotional and intelligent memoir written by journalist Meg Kissinger, While You Were Out follows Kissinger's family as they grapple with the impacts of addiction, severe and persistent mental health and the stigma around each of those things in the 1960s and 1970s.
Kissinger writes her story in way that is both emotionally moving while also making room for her readers to understand the facts about mental health (or lack their of) in the 1970s. As a mental health care provider, I was proud of the way that Kissinger sheds light on the stigmatization of both while also calling out the dangers of swinging the pendulum too far and over correcting.
This memoir felt deeply personal to me as she wrote about her families struggles and the long term impacts of unspoken generational trauma. She puts her investigative journalism background to use taking the memoir a step further to discuss the policy changes over the years that have continued to displace those with severe and persistent mental illness and she does it in a way that is understandable.
I absolutely loved and appreciated Kissinger's vulnerability, raw story telling and gumption in sharing this must read memoir. I will be recommending to many of my coworkers, colleagues and even some clients in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction and Physical abuse