Six Deaths, One Murder, One Family: Inside the Tragedy Phyllis Karas Waited a Lifetime to Tell
About this episode
Phyllis Karas shares her family's story of six deaths and a murder, exploring themes of grief and survival in her memoir.
If you've ever wondered how one family turned six deaths and a murder into a story of survival, episode 442 of Grief and Happiness is for you. Author Phyllis Karas shares the story behind her memoir Curse of the Blumenthals: a 1935 drunk-driving accident that killed six relatives and the murder her cousin Ronnie committed 18 years later. Her memoir shows how naming our grief, instead of burying it, can hold a family together. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (00:56) Phyllis Karas's introduction as a journalist, professor, and author of Curse of the Blumenthals (02:05) The 1935 drunk-driving accident that killed six members of her family (05:56) Naming the victims and giving them life back through her writing (07:48) Ronnie's birth four months later — a moment of joy after tragedy (12:41) The murder Ronnie committed 18 years after the crash, and the family's decision to stand by him (15:42) Visiting Ronnie in prison for 13 years, and what it taught her about grief (17:23) The hardest parts to write: the police report and the murder itself (20:13) Why readers are drawn to grief stories, and the response to her book signing (21:04) How the family's closeness endured across…
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