I was intrigued from the beginning of this excerpt, since I am a fan of the band Airborne Toxic Event and I had no idea Mikel had such a challenging life. This excerpt made me want to read more, and gave me a good sense of the type of family life he had growing up. Shifting dynamics seem to be in play, and am curious to see how the cult atmosphere contributes to the upbringing of Mikel and his brother Tony and ‘father’ Paul.