In this podcast Michael and Jim will discuss personal experiences with trauma and what they’ve done and are doing to overcome its lasting negative effects. They will refer to a book titled Freedom and Dysfunction in an All-American Family which is about Jim’s experience of abuse and neglect. The podcast will range from the nitty gritty of experienced violence and deprivation to more intellectual discussions of a writer’s choice to fictionalize trauma accounts to better convey the spirit of the experience. American culture will also play a role in terms of its ability to both add to and address the problems of abuse and neglect in American families. Both podcasters are in 12-step recovery, so they will also share experience, strength, and hope around what they’ve done to overcome their dysfunctional youth. Michael is the best selling author of January First: A Child’s Descent into Madness and Her Father’s Struggle to Save Her.