#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK The heartrending story of a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science’s great hope in the quest to understand the disease. “Reads like a medical detective journey and sheds light on a topic so many of us face: mental illness.” —Oprah WinfreyDon and Mimi Galvin seemed to be … —Oprah Winfrey
Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. After World War II, Don’s work with the Air Force brought them to Colorado, where their twelve children perfectly spanned the baby boom: the oldest born in 1945, the youngest in 1965. In those years, there was an established script for a family like the Galvins–aspiration, hard work, upward mobility, domestic harmony–and they worked hard to play their parts. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. By the mid-1970s, six of the ten Galvin boys, one after another, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. How could all this happen to one family?
What took place inside the house on Hidden Valley Road was so extraordinary that the Galvins became one of the first families to be studied by the National Institute of Mental Health. Their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalization, lobotomy, and the schizophrenogenic mother to the search for genetic markers for the disease, always amid profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself. And unbeknownst to the Galvins, samples of their DNA informed decades of genetic research that continues today, offering paths to treatment, prediction, and even eradication of the disease for future generations.
With clarity and compassion, bestselling and award-winning author Robert Kolker uncovers one family’s unforgettable legacy of suffering, love, and hope.
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Good read especially if the reader has an interest in schizophrenia. This book follows the males in a family who have this condition and the women who don’t . Very realistic about today’s understandings and lack thereof.
The heartbreaking true story of the Galvins, a family torn apart by schizophrenia when six of their twelve children receive the diagnosis. A very readable and disturbing case study that’s peppered with medical history and scientific information. This one is hard to forget.
One of the most boring books I’ve ever read. When it deals with the family issues it’s OK. But when he gets into the medical technology. Boring
If you’re having a rough day with your family, imagine a family of 12 children where 6 of them have some form of schizophrenia. Such is the true life story of the Galvin family. A fascinating portrait of a family dealing with mental illness along with their contribution to science in order to find a cure.
Amazing true story of family with a heartbreaking disease.
Wow! What research went into this story about a family of 12, and half the children struggled with schizophrenia most of their lives. So interesting and informative. I give the author tons of credit for the time he spent on this eye-opening “work” of non-fiction.
Robert Kolker embraces the world of Schizophrenia which has eluded science for centuries .Several genetic markers are discovered by Drs. Freedman and De Lisa revealing the use of choline as a preventive measure and the SHANK2 revelation as an indicator of the disease .The Galvin family of twelve had six children with the disease and six without ..The tissue found from the family was significant in understanding the genetic components of the disease.With little profit to be made from anti-psychotic drugs little has been explored .Ironically scientists have found a connection between Schizophrenia ,bi-polar and autism It has been found half of school shooters suffer from symptoms of developing schizophrenia . The writer gives us a profound understanding of just how crucial it is for us to address mental illness head on .sparing countless suffering and tragedy
This book presents a a family with 12 children, 6 developing schizophrenia as young adults. The book explores how mental illness in some family members affect the whole family, and also how our ideas about mental illness, causes and treatments have changed over the years. A fascinating read. Very well written.
This is an eye opening book about mental illness that really held my interest. Well written and incredibly informative, I highly reccomend !
You cannot believe what you’re reading. It’s so sad and shocking. I cannot believe these things happen to people.
Heart breaking look into a family with multiple schizophrenic brothers and an amazing mother, leaving me to wonder about the way we treat our mentally ill.
Great book with insight into schizophrenia. It was very interesting to read about how this large family Dealt with so many of them suffering from the disease.
I liked how the way the author revealed history of psychology alongside the problems erupting within the family.
A fascinating look at schizophrenia through a single family. Also a sad look at how the medical community has unfortunately failed to come together in pursuit of a cure.
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker is a stunning work of nonfiction about the Galvin family that lived/lives in Colorado. I live in Colorado myself and didn’t know they existed, and it was interesting to hear about places I am familiar with as well as those I’m not.
If you’ve ever wondered how mental illness, or specifically schizophrenia, effects a family then this book will enlighten you. I can’t even imagine all the time it took to research this family and talk to everyone, and it is such a well thought out book. I love investigative journalism and I found Hidden Valley Road to be very compelling and detailed, both about the Galvin family history and schizophrenia.
Hidden Valley Road is an Oprah’s Book Club pick and I can definitely understand why. I listened to the audio and I loved it, but I also bought the book and I’m glad I did. It has some pictures and a family tree for the Galvin’s which was very helpful since there were 12 kids. I highly recommend the audio, but I would also advise having the book on hand as well if possible. I think listening to it was easier than if I would have tried to read it just because of how detailed it is and the science parts. I find it easier to listen to these types of books as opposed to reading the physical book.
Hidden Valley Road was very moving and powerful, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it. It was rather mind blowing as well, and I had to keep reminding myself that it is nonfiction. It is going to be really emotional for a lot of people and although I didn’t cry during it, I could see how some readers would. If after reading the synopsis you are even the slightest bit interested in Hidden Valley Road I would definitely recommend giving it a try.