Jessi Hempel came out as lesbian; her siblings as transgender and bisexual; and it was revealed that Jessi’s father was gay through the children’s discovery of his infidelity. In her new book, she recounts this complicated family history and even unearths the story of her mother’s past romantic entanglement with an alleged accomplice to murder. 

In “The Family Outing,” Hempel grapples with the power of secrets to perpetuate generational cycles of shame and silence, as well as the freedom that comes with telling the truth. Hempel joined to discuss her new book and how writing it brought her family closer.