Meg Kissinger, WHILE YOU WERE OUT: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence

Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby Owens

Connection, Inspiration, Moms, Entertainment, Arts, Reading, Books, Parenting, Literary

4.4 • 602 Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2024

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Award-winning journalist Meg Kissinger joins Zibby to discuss WHILE YOU WERE OUT, a searing and deeply personal memoir of a family besieged by mental illness, the systems that failed them, and the love that sustained them. Meg shares what it was like to grow up in a large family that was marked by joy but overshadowed by severe mental illness, including the tragic loss of two siblings to suicide. She also delves into the complexities of navigating the mental health system, grappling with questions of autonomy, safety, and stigma. Ultimately, she hopes that her readers will join her on a journey of healing, compassion, challenging societal taboos, and fostering empathy for those affected by mental illness.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books with Zivie. I'm the host, Zivie Owens. I am an author. My latest is blank,
0:12.0	pub date March 1st, a novel. I'm also a podcaster, obviously, a publisher, a bookstore owner,
0:17.8	and so much more. If you love books, you're in the right place. In fact,
0:22.2	we call it the Zivieverse, or really, the L.A. Times called it the Zivieverse, and we're going
0:26.4	with it. Go to Zivie Owens.com to learn more and follow me on Instagram at Zivie Owens.
0:33.9	Meg Kissinger is the author of While You Are Out, an intimate family portrait of mental illness in an era of silence.
0:40.3	Meg is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and author. She will help you see and think about people with mental illness in a new light.
0:46.9	Her engaging memoir, While You Were Out, has been praised for its incisive reporting, boundless compassion, and surprising humor.
0:53.2	It was named an editor's
0:54.8	choice by the New York Times, the LA Times, Amazon, Goodreads, and Independent Booksellers
0:59.9	Association. Audible chose it as the best of the year. Kissinger spent more than two decades
1:05.3	traveling across the country to report on our nation's failed mental health system winning
1:09.3	dozens of national awards.
1:15.6	She is a popular speaker at universities, civic organizations, and corporate events.
1:20.1	Kissinger taught investigative reporting at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and is a trainer for the school's Dart Center on Trauma and Journalism.
1:24.3	Kissinger lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, along the shores of Lake Michigan, her favorite
1:28.1	place to plunge, even on the coldest day in January. Welcome, Meg. Thanks so much for coming
1:33.2	on Mom's Don't Have Time to Read Books to discuss while you were out an intimate family
1:37.4	portrait of mental illness in an era of silence. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Great to be here.
1:43.5	As I was just saying, I was so happy
1:45.5	you reached out about this book. I've now recommended this book. My colleague was reading this book.
1:50.9	Anyway, really powerful. Why don't you tell listeners a little bit about your story and how it became
	...

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