In ‘Supernormal,’ a careful, painful exploration of what good comes from a bad childhood

There’s a moment in Meg Jay’s new book, “Supernormal: The Untold Story of Adversity and Resilience,” in which a woman is describing her childhood shared with a younger brother prone to violent outbursts.

Because her parents were devoting such care and energy— understandably — to meeting their son’s needs, the woman and her sister weren’t allowed to have any.