In the 1960s Chicago suburbs, the Kissinger family radiated warmth and chaos: eight kids, loving parents, summers on Lake Michigan, and Catholic school antics. But behind the laughter and large living, a darker reality loomed.
Meg Kissinger’s mother battled debilitating anxiety and depression, her father swung between mania and violence, and the children faced mental health struggles that claimed two of their lives. Bound by dark humor and an unspoken rule—never talk about it—the Kissingers soldiered on.
While You Were Out blends memoir and investigative journalism, tracing how personal tragedy drove Kissinger’s career exposing the flaws of America’s mental health care system. Powerful, candid, and surprisingly funny, this is a story of resilience, the consequences of silence, and the hope offered by change.
