THE TROUBLE WITH KIM: On Transcending Despair and Approaching Joy is a poignant collection of true stories about growing up poor in a troubled family, and struggling to heal past childhood wounds toward wholeness and manhood. A gifted storyteller, Seth David Branitz manages to move and entertain as he explores even the most difficult of themes. It’s impossible not to be touched as he deftly tackles mental illness, addiction and recovery, sexual awakening, the limits of familial obligation, death, grief, emotional maturity, creative self-fulfillment, and finding love, all with great compassion and compelling attention to detail.