Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family
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- Create Date：2021-05-02 10:51:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Robert Kolker
- ISBN：0525562648
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Summary
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。
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。
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。
Reviews
Annie
，
This was an incredibly fascinating book。 The story traces a large family that has a VERY large percentage of children that suffer from schizophrenia。 I don't know more than the rudimentary information about the disease of schizophrenia but have always found it fascinating。 Seeing the far-reaching impacts the disease has on a family， especially such an afflicted one， was truly eye-opening。 It is difficult to manage a family member with schizophrenia but what does one do when there are MANY member This was an incredibly fascinating book。 The story traces a large family that has a VERY large percentage of children that suffer from schizophrenia。 I don't know more than the rudimentary information about the disease of schizophrenia but have always found it fascinating。 Seeing the far-reaching impacts the disease has on a family， especially such an afflicted one， was truly eye-opening。 It is difficult to manage a family member with schizophrenia but what does one do when there are MANY members who have it （6 out of 11 children - all males）。 Also， the fact that this was happening in the late fifties through the seventies （as far as when the diagnoses were occurring） is even more interesting because the science at the time was so in the dark about these types of things。 The lives led by the afflicted family memebers were constrained， difficult and caused considerable burden on the rest of the family。 This book provides a detailed and intimate account of one family that was terribly impacted by this disease - it also provides a detailed history and analysis of the disease in history。 Anyone interested in social science， mental disorders or the history of disease studies must read this book。 。。。more
Christie
，
A tragic story about a family。 Multiple siblings diagnosed with schizophrenia impacted the lives of every other person living in the home on Hidden Valley Road。 This is one difficult but important read。 I hope when/if there are scientific breakthroughs that can be traced back to the earlier work performed by Lynn DeLisi， that she gets part of the credit。 But mostly I hope researchers and psychiatrists find more humane and effective treatments for those who suffer from this disorder。
Michael Silverman
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I am a clinician and a clinical researcher who studies and works with people living with schizophrenia。This is an exceptionally well-told story covering a very interesting family and the development of the complicated and controversial concept of schizophrenia。
Jean
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Amazing story！
Amy Morfas
，
I was totally fascinated by this book。 A nonfiction account of a Colorado family with 12 （！） children， including six boys with schizophrenia。 Holy crap。 If you enjoyed Educated， you’ll probably like this book， too。
Shelly
，
Uff dah。。。。 This is a difficult topic。To go thru what that family did。。。。 Would it be better today， or just different？ What really got to me was the impact on the rest of the kids。
Michael Williams
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A harrowing but deeply human account of a family ravaged by schizophrenia。
Sara Rosales
，
One of the most fascinating yet terrifying books I’ve ever read。 Kolker does an amazing job of telling the Galvin’s story of how six out of twelve children were diagnosed with schizophrenia and how the mental health system’s treatment of schizophrenia has developed over the past century。 This book is so shocking - and sometimes incredibly dark - that it’s hard to believe it’s real。 Kolker is objective yet incredibly compassionate here。 An astounding piece of work。 TW: rape， domestic abuse， sexua One of the most fascinating yet terrifying books I’ve ever read。 Kolker does an amazing job of telling the Galvin’s story of how six out of twelve children were diagnosed with schizophrenia and how the mental health system’s treatment of schizophrenia has developed over the past century。 This book is so shocking - and sometimes incredibly dark - that it’s hard to believe it’s real。 Kolker is objective yet incredibly compassionate here。 An astounding piece of work。 TW: rape， domestic abuse， sexual abuse 。。。more
Kari
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Fascinerende， trist og lærerikt om schizofreniens historie fra midten av 1900-tallet， til i dag， sett gjennom en familie hvor hele seks personer er rammet。
Rhiannon
，
This book was fascinating！ Part memoir part medical science nonfiction。 I wish all nonfiction could be this well crafted。 And my review comes from a nurse's perspective。 This book was fascinating！ Part memoir part medical science nonfiction。 I wish all nonfiction could be this well crafted。 And my review comes from a nurse's perspective。 。。。more
Kristen
，
Unbelievable story of a family of 12 children and six are diagnosed with schizophrenia。 Based in the 1960s-present， the story shares medical research and the Galvin family’s experience with the unfortunate medical diagnosis and the effects on the other children。 Is it nature （genetics） or nurture （that crazy mama）？！
Thea
，
Oh My！I cannot begin to analyze this family but if you thought your family was crazy then read this book and your family will seem very normal。It just kept getting worse and worse with mental illness， affairs， incest， murder， suicide and mental and physical abuse。These parents were awful！Even by the end I could not have any sympathy for Don and Mimi！
Barbara
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Schizophrenic is still a tragic and little understood malady， but if any book is going to enlighten you about what it’s like to live with this baffling， tragic disease and how it effects families this is it。
Walter Orr
，
An interesting look into the lives of a family where 6/12 children developed schizophrenia， however my main takeaway is how terrible it would be to have TWELVE children。 Also discussed the history of psychiatric treatment and how research into schizophrenia has advanced in the last few decades， so a good science nonfiction read。
Jayme Santee
，
I had such high hopes for this and was really let down。 It started off great and I really enjoyed getting to know the Galvin family。 But after about the first one third I found that it just started to drag。 The content was very interesting and it is hard not to be fascinated with this family， I think it could have just been presented in a different way。 I didn't like how it switched perspectives so often and I found it extremely hard to keep track of the family members as there are so many and t I had such high hopes for this and was really let down。 It started off great and I really enjoyed getting to know the Galvin family。 But after about the first one third I found that it just started to drag。 The content was very interesting and it is hard not to be fascinated with this family， I think it could have just been presented in a different way。 I didn't like how it switched perspectives so often and I found it extremely hard to keep track of the family members as there are so many and the author just kind of jumped around。 I did learn quite a bit and I am glad I read it， but I am also glad to be done and move on to my next read。 。。。more
Stacey
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A slightly slow start getting to the schizophrenia portion of the book， but an excellent chronicle of a family dealing with the unthinkable at a time when there was little help for individuals and families struggling with what is considered the most devastating of mental illnesses。
Annie Fyfe
，
Fascinating read。 Anyone interested in mental illness will want to read this book。 Even though I'm not usually a fan of non fiction， this was written well and didn't slow down at any point。 Fascinating read。 Anyone interested in mental illness will want to read this book。 Even though I'm not usually a fan of non fiction， this was written well and didn't slow down at any point。 。。。more
Jennifer Young
，
Wow！ This book was fascinating！ Nature vs nurture as well as a large family’s struggle with mental health。 I was sucked in and learned how far we still need to go in the mental health area。
Sravya
，
A fascinating， disturbing， and heartbreaking story of a family overcome by mental illness。 As other reviewers have mentioned， the beginning is a little hard to get through。 The author describes things in a lot more painstaking detail than was necessary （like Mimi and Don's （the mother and father） background and falconry）。 However， once you get through the first few chapters， it really picks up。 There is a back and forth between describing the family's struggles and developments in schizophrenia A fascinating， disturbing， and heartbreaking story of a family overcome by mental illness。 As other reviewers have mentioned， the beginning is a little hard to get through。 The author describes things in a lot more painstaking detail than was necessary （like Mimi and Don's （the mother and father） background and falconry）。 However， once you get through the first few chapters， it really picks up。 There is a back and forth between describing the family's struggles and developments in schizophrenia research。 I've seen a few people give this book less-than-favorable reviews due to the nature of Mimi and Don's parenting and disagreeing with the choices they made throughout their lives and with their kids。 However， this is a real story， so I don't necessarily think it's fair to criticize this book based on not liking things that actually happened。 。。。more
Eileen
，
I found this to be a very interesting book。 I listened to the audio which was very well done。 Such a fascinating family dealing and coping with the illness of schizophrenia。
Mary Gilg
，
This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in schizophrenia。 Well-written， intense， informative， and intriguing。
Lauriann
，
This is the true story of an All-American couple， married in the 1940's， who had high hopes for living the American dream only to have that dream shattered by Schizophrenia。 Don and Mimi Galvin had twelve children， ten boys followed by two girls。 Of the ten boys， six were diagnosed with schizophrenia。 Each of the boys， while falling into the diagnosis， exhibited extreme behaviors， were dangerous to themselves， to others and especially to their family members。 As they went in and out of indep This is the true story of an All-American couple， married in the 1940's， who had high hopes for living the American dream only to have that dream shattered by Schizophrenia。 Don and Mimi Galvin had twelve children， ten boys followed by two girls。 Of the ten boys， six were diagnosed with schizophrenia。 Each of the boys， while falling into the diagnosis， exhibited extreme behaviors， were dangerous to themselves， to others and especially to their family members。 As they went in and out of independent living situations， prison terms， alcohol and drug addiction， institutional situations and trial returns home， they threatened the lives and well being of everyone around them。 From all appearances， Don and Mimi Galvin lived a nightmare of constant chaos， disruption and fear。 All that they went through was shocking， to say the least。 The impact on the "healthy" children in the family was profound。 The story of the Galvin familywas interspersed generously with well-researched information about the suspected causes of schizophrenia， the quest to learn if nature or nurture is most responsible， and textbook type of reports on different treatments and medications。 It was a toss-up as to which was worse， the meds or the disease itself。 The Galvin family contributed greatly to research by allowing their family to participate in research projects over and over again。 By the time I reached the end of the book， I realized that the questions still exist， treatments are still experimental， and side effects from the pharmaceuticals are not overwhelmingly promising。 MUCH research has been done， seemingly infinite studies conducted， yet we still seem to be pioneering through this serious mental health issue。 。。。more
Zeineth
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A very interesting book， what I loved the most is how the writer combined both studies and the family story。 Schizophrenia is still such a taboo nowadays and what I got the most from this book is that even though nowadays there isn’t a reliable drug that cures schizophrenia there are ways to prevent it。For me a page Turner， there were days that this book was all I could think of。
Sheryl
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Fascinating examination of schizophrenia and its impact on families， people who experience it， and the larger community。
Bree
，
Notes::No real conclusion at book's end。Not enough digging into sexual abuse as a trigger or cause for all this family's misery - siblings abuse each other physically and sexually， torture and kill animals， are suicidal and homicidal。 A priest is mentioned as the molester but I question the dad being abusive too。 Guess we'll never know。 Notes::No real conclusion at book's end。Not enough digging into sexual abuse as a trigger or cause for all this family's misery - siblings abuse each other physically and sexually， torture and kill animals， are suicidal and homicidal。 A priest is mentioned as the molester but I question the dad being abusive too。 Guess we'll never know。 。。。more
Heather
，
Absolutely IncredibleThis book was captivating from start to finish。 An incredibly deep dive at the history of schizophrenia and the story of one family’s major role in it。 Profoundly well written。
MeliWat
，
Fascinating， but sad。 Would give it 3。75 stars if I could。 In another mood （for non fiction） maybe 4+。
Vidi
，
This one is beautifully written with such a compassionate feeling and respect to the Galvins family。 I love it。 And I think it would be a wonderful book to read even if you really have no idea about schizophrenia itself。 It's a little bit heart wrenching to read about the Galvins， but it's beautifully wrap in the end。 I really like the way it goes back and forth between the Galvins experience and also the scientists point of few。 This one is beautifully written with such a compassionate feeling and respect to the Galvins family。 I love it。 And I think it would be a wonderful book to read even if you really have no idea about schizophrenia itself。 It's a little bit heart wrenching to read about the Galvins， but it's beautifully wrap in the end。 I really like the way it goes back and forth between the Galvins experience and also the scientists point of few。 。。。more
Meghan Polk
，
This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time。 I enjoyed how the author paralleled what’s going on scientifically with the story of the Galvin family。 This family’s story is fascinating and tragic。
Mehtap
，