Forum From the Archives: Jonathan Hirsch on Losing His Father to 'A Cult and Dementia'

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KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In his popular podcast “Dear Franklin Jones,” radio producer Jonathan Hirsch tried to make sense of a childhood dominated by his parents’ spiritual guru. In a new memoir he more deeply explores his relationship with his father and the complexity of providing care for a parent who didn’t take care of him. We talk to him about his audio memoir, “The Mind is Burning: Losing My Father to a Cult and Dementia.” Guests: Jonathan Hirsch, podcast producer; author of the audiobook memoir, "The Mind Is Burning: Losing my Father to a Cult and Dementia" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for Forum comes from Rancho La Puerta, a wellness resort on 4,000 acres in the mountains of Baja, California, just 45 minutes from San Diego.
0:09.4	Family owned and operated since 1940, Rancho La Pueerta offers adult summer camp-like vacations for anyone who enjoys hiking, mindfulness, and fitness classes.
0:19.8	Special rates and offers are available for summer stays and
0:23.3	first-time guests. Learn more at Rancho LePuerta.com. Support for Forum comes from Broadway
0:29.4	SF, presenting Parade, the musical revival based on a true story. From three-time Tony-winning composer
0:36.8	Jason Robert Brown comes the story of Leo and Lucille Frank, a new story. From three-time Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown comes the story of Leo and
0:39.9	Lucille Frank, a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in Georgia. When Leo is accused
0:46.6	of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice,
0:53.6	and devotion.
0:55.2	The riveting and gloriously hopeful parade plays the Orpheum Theater for three weeks only, May 20th through June 8th.
1:03.4	Tickets on sale now at Broadway, sF.com.
1:08.3	From KQED.
1:09.8	Music From KQED. From KQED.
1:27.3	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal with a special holiday edition of forum from our archives.
1:32.5	The Bay Area was awash with spiritual seekers during the 60s and 70s,
1:37.6	but the gurus didn't just disappear when the age of Aquarius became the Reagan era.
1:45.3	Our guest this morning, Jonathan Hirsch, knows this well because he grew up in what many would call a cult here in San Francisco and Marin.
1:50.2	His parents felt their allegiance was to their guru and their son suffered because of it.
1:55.2	Then just as his own family and life were blooming, his estranged father was diagnosed with dementia and Hirsch was faced with a stark set of choices.
1:59.3	That's all coming up next, right after this news.
2:13.0	Welcome to Forum.
2:14.4	I'm Alexis Madrigal.
	...

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