Drawing Our Difficulties: David Soren on Turning Pain into Characters

In this heartfelt episode, Jed welcomes back filmmaker and author David Soren to celebrate Visible: The Sort of True Story of a Not So Hidden Disease, the powerful follow-up to his middle grade novel Invisible. Drawing from his own experience growing up with Crohn's disease, David shares how his fictional stand-in, JJ Sugar, navigates life with his biker-beast disease, Norm, and how their relationship slowly shifts from fear and resentment toward understanding and even a kind of friendship. David and Jed talk about the many kids living with hidden diseases—conditions like Crohn's, diabetes, and other invisible illnesses that don't show on the outside but shape a child's daily life. David describes emotional school visits and a moving moment at Camp Oasis, where a young camper asked, "What if I like my disease?"—a question that perfectly captures the heart of these books. The conversation also explores parental illness through David's father's experience with throat cancer, and how families can talk honestly with kids while modeling resilience and self-advocacy. Along the way, David reflects on turning pain into story, the joy of creating Norm, and the hope that Invisible and Visible will help kids and families feel seen, understood, and a little less alone.  We close the show by welcoming Christal M Cherry to celebrate her picture book Mac & Cheese, Being Different Is OK. In this wonderful story we meet Mac, a unique kid who is ready to make new friends! But when he tries to play with the other kids, they are rude and tease him. Mac is devastated until he finds a new friend that is a little different too.