BETHLEHEM, Pa. — If you’ve lived in the Lehigh Valley for 20 years or more, chances are you know the name Holly Branagan.
Holly was a 17-year-old Freedom High School senior on March 28, 1979, when she was stabbed to death in the kitchen of her home on Pine Top Trail in Bethlehem.
The case has never been solved.
On that same day, about 100 miles away, a reactor atThree Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant overheated.
These events were only part of the chaos from author Kurt Dowdle’s childhood, recounted in his memoir “Dream Monster.”
Kurt grew up in Bethlehem. His former babysitter and neighbor was Holly Branagan, and his father’s doomsday predications (and rage) were fueled by the nuclear meltdown.
Dowdle experienced "normal" kid "rites of passage," such as learning to ride a bike or walking home from school with friends, but he also lived with constant pandemonium at home.
In this special interview, Dowdle talks with WLVR’s Christine Dempsey about “Dream Monster,” his parents, and how he managed to navigate through his childhood.
Dowdle is the author of the “Raven Trilogy,” a historical mystery based in 1870 in Bethlehem. “Dream Monster” is his fourth book. All of his books are available from Amazon.com.
Listen to Christine's interview with Kurt at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, on radio station WLVR-FM, or find it below (in two segments).
