How family trauma can be both devastating and transformative

"Air Traffic" by Gregory Pardlo
"Air Traffic: A Memoir of Ambition and Manhood in America" by Gregory Pardlo
Knopf

Poet Gregorgy Pardlo's new memoir, "Air Traffic," tells the story of how his family transformed after his father, Greg Sr., lost his job in the fallout from the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Strike of 1981.

Soon after, "Big Greg" struggled with addiction, spent much of the family's money, and made a series of other decisions that shaped young Gregory's perception of manhood.

Pardlo joined MPR host Kerri Miller for a conversation about the ways in which trauma can both shatter and fortify a family's bonds.