Linda Summersea

I've been writing for about 20 years, starting with a piece on NPR's Tales of the South. I always wanted to be a writer, but through a lack of proper counseling, I had other careers that I, fortunately, loved. Thirteen years ago, I began writing my memoir after listening to an NPR interview with Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes. I was inspired by his memoir, as he was someone who had a coming-of-age story with a difficult childhood, and I decided, that's it, I'm gonna do it. I wrote 8 drafts, and I'm really pleased that I finally achieved my dream. I My most notable professional achievement is publishing my memoir. I've been doing a lot of podcasts, including worldwide in other countries. I became a teacher of youth-at-risk without realizing that I was a youth-at-risk too. When I wrote my memoir, I realized that I had body dysmorphic disorder, even though back in the 50s and 60s, that was not a recognized psychological thing. In 1987, it was first identified by the psychiatric community. In my interviews, I'm asked about youth-at-risk and body dysmorphic disorder, also called BDD. I address ways that parents, teachers, counselors, and clergy can recognize the possibility of a child going down the road to depression, because sometimes a kid's just a quiet kid, and other times it's something else. There are ways to identify that and define the clues and hints. As a survivor of body dysmorphic disorder who has been there, done that, I am in a position to help others recognize that in their own young people.