Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this beautifully-written memoir by Meg Kissinger - 5 stars!
Meg grew up in the 1960s in a wealthy suburb of Chicago, one of eight children. Looking in, life seemed to be perfect. But inside, it was a different story. Her maniac father was prone to violence and her mother was medicated and hospitalized for anxiety and depression. The thread of mental illness wove itself through her siblings as well, even though no one could discuss any of it. Meg took her personal struggles and made it her professional mission - to expose our country's flawed mental health care.
This book touched me on so many levels and I couldn't put it down. The first part of the book, focusing on Meg's family, was so engrossing. The family used humor as a coping mechanism and that humor softened the edges of reading about such tragedy. The second half of the book focused more on the failures of our country's and society's approach to mental illness. While the book definitely focuses on a difficult subject matter, and will deeply touch those who have been affected by mental illness, there was still a lightness and hope for the future in this book. I also loved Meg's strong Catholic faith and appreciated her including that part of her story. A must read!
No comments:
Post a Comment