Family dynamics is another theme of this book as it examines relationships, forgiveness, growth and support through extremely hard circumstances. Yes, mental illness is a huge theme of this book, specifically mental illness and the effect it has on a family. There was nothing dry about this!Įven though the topic of schizophrenia sounds far removed, mental illness is an issue that is prevalent in our society and one that I felt I could relate to as I read this well-told narrative. It was about a fascinating topic and told in an interesting way. I’m not an avid nonfiction reader, but Hidden Valley Road is exactly what I want to read when I do read nonfiction.
Throughout the book there is also discussions of the history and research around schizophrenia and finding a cause and/or future cure.
It examines each individual case and the effects this diagnosis has on the “healthy” children of the family throughout their lives. Hidden Valley Road takes a close look at the dynamics of a family dealing with this terrible mental health issue.
It tells the story of each member of the family, beginning with Don and Mimi, the parents of these children at the beginning of their relationship. Hidden Valley Road is the story of an American family in which six of the twelve children were diagnosed with schizophrenia. I finished it today and found it appropriate that I read this during Mental Health Awareness Month. Once I began reading I was completely fascinated by the story of the family portrayed in this book. I picked it up to read after finishing my last book because it was the shortest one on my TBR stack at the moment. I was surprised to receive this one, though, because I completely forgot putting it on my list. My wish list for any holiday is basically a list of books. With clarity and compassion, bestselling and award-winning author Robert Kolker uncovers one family’s unforgettable legacy of suffering, love, and hope.I received Hidden Valley Road for Mother’s Day this year. 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. 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. 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. By the mid-1970s, six of the ten Galvin boys, one after another, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. 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. 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. 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.ĭon and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. Named a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, TIME, Smithsonian, and Amazon ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOKS OF THE YEAR
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