Mental illness, seen through the eyes of a child

St. Paul, Minn. — Author Laura Flynn writes of her at times luminous, at times agonizing experiences growing up with a mother going gradually insane. Her new book is called "Swallow the Ocean."

Flynn's mother suffered from schizophrenia at a time when the disease was not as well known, and authorities were reluctant to split children from their mothers.

Laura Flynn: Author of the new memoir, "Swallow the Ocean." She teaches creative writing at the University of Minnesota