Her parents say they knew nothing about her trauma and sought medical treatment for her. Gay recalls attending Phillips Exeter Academy where she put on weight rapidly. Professor of Psychology Angela Duckworth describes the psychological impact of such traumatic events. Gay recalls being gang-raped by a group of boys at age 12. The Gays say they were outsiders after moving to a mostly white community in Nebraska they describe Roxane as a loner and bibliophile.

Michael and Nicole Gay grew up in Haiti before immigrating to the United States and meeting in New York. She and Carlos Watson discuss her early writing at her home in Los Angeles. Gay reads from her memoir “Hunger” at California State University Northridge. Formative Writing Experiences (02:03) FREE PREVIEW