Family Secrets is a production of IHeart Radio.

I'm Danny Shapiro, and this is Family Secrets,

the secrets that are kept from us, the secrets we keep from others,

and the secrets we keep from ourselves.

My guest today is David Wright-Falade, novelist, university professor, and author of the recent essay in The New Yorker, The Truth About My Father. David is a story of identity and belonging and the extraordinary unfolding of a buried

secret history.

My earliest memories are from Kansas City. I was born in France, but we came here

when I was around two. So my earliest memories are from Kansas City when I was probably about four.

My dad, Jack Wright, we called him Dottie.

My big sister Miriam and I were both born in France, and it's just what we called him.

And it was only with age, and I recognized that what we were saying was D-A-D-D-Y,

but we'd learn to pronounce it as little French kids. And so when we were here, cousins would tease us and whatnot.

But we lived in a part of Kansas City in subsidized housing at that time, sort of the

projects.

We held it to the gateway apartments, but it was the gateway to the West Apartments.

And I learned later that the police called it the cancer of Kansas City.

It didn't feel.

I mean, you're a kid.

You just, you're there.

We played outside.

And my big sister and I were 17 months apart and really close.

But that's the space we lived in.

...