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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
very very sad. Kolker’s writing is a feat in balancing empathy and honesty, trying to tell everyone in the family’s story evenly despite the tragedies that occurred within. The way he structured the book was fantastic, interweaving the history of schizophrenia with the tales of the family was fantastic. The small detail of continuing to use one of the daughter’s new chosen name despite family members not honoring the new name made me very emotional
Oh my god the mom infuriated me but I also know she was really just doing her best
Oh my god the mom infuriated me but I also know she was really just doing her best
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
This was an intense read, but very engaging. If you are interested in reading about mental health, and the history of mental health, this is a must-read.
The author, Robert Kolker, was introduced to two sisters, Margaret and Lindsay (formerly Mary) Galvin, who wanted someone to document and tell the story of their family in an unbiased and informative way. The Galvins were a family of fourteen: twelve children (ten boys and two girls) and two parents, Mimi and Don. The oldest child, Donald, was born in 1945 and the youngest, Mary, exactly twenty years later in 1965. Six of the boys would eventually be diagnosed with schizophrenia (although it was later learned that one of them mostly likely was bipolar not schizophrenic) and this had an impact not just on their family, but on the history of researching schizophrenia itself.
I would say about 75% of this book is the history of the Galvin family, as researched by Kolker through extensive interviews, medical records, and other documentation. The other 25% helpfully traces the history of research into schizophrenia, and how the the thinking about the disease and treatment of it has evolved over time. I knew almost nothing about schizophrenia going in other than what I have picked up through exposure in film and TV (TBH, the vast majority of which came solely from the very memorable series of episodes* of ER where David Krumholtz has a psychotic break and kills and injures handfuls of people). I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on at least the basics after having read this, but one of the things about schizophrenia is that even after intensive research, there is actually still relatively little known about it.
*Some quick Googling has led me to find this oral history of the infamous scene that EW published in 2018. So that's kind of neat.
I was interested in this book the whole way through, but some tough things are covered here, among others: rape, bullying, incest, psychosis, misdiagnosis, attempted murder, domestic violence, murder/suicide, depression and anxiety, and PTSD. The Galvins had a rough go of it, so if you're looking for a light read, this isn't it. What it is is a nuanced, carefully researched look into schizophrenia and how important the proper mental health can be not just for individual health but for the health of families and communities.
The author, Robert Kolker, was introduced to two sisters, Margaret and Lindsay (formerly Mary) Galvin, who wanted someone to document and tell the story of their family in an unbiased and informative way. The Galvins were a family of fourteen: twelve children (ten boys and two girls) and two parents, Mimi and Don. The oldest child, Donald, was born in 1945 and the youngest, Mary, exactly twenty years later in 1965. Six of the boys would eventually be diagnosed with schizophrenia (although it was later learned that one of them mostly likely was bipolar not schizophrenic) and this had an impact not just on their family, but on the history of researching schizophrenia itself.
I would say about 75% of this book is the history of the Galvin family, as researched by Kolker through extensive interviews, medical records, and other documentation. The other 25% helpfully traces the history of research into schizophrenia, and how the the thinking about the disease and treatment of it has evolved over time. I knew almost nothing about schizophrenia going in other than what I have picked up through exposure in film and TV (TBH, the vast majority of which came solely from the very memorable series of episodes* of ER where David Krumholtz has a psychotic break and kills and injures handfuls of people). I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on at least the basics after having read this, but one of the things about schizophrenia is that even after intensive research, there is actually still relatively little known about it.
*Some quick Googling has led me to find this oral history of the infamous scene that EW published in 2018. So that's kind of neat.
I was interested in this book the whole way through, but some tough things are covered here, among others: rape, bullying, incest, psychosis, misdiagnosis, attempted murder, domestic violence, murder/suicide, depression and anxiety, and PTSD. The Galvins had a rough go of it, so if you're looking for a light read, this isn't it. What it is is a nuanced, carefully researched look into schizophrenia and how important the proper mental health can be not just for individual health but for the health of families and communities.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This is an excellent book that kept me interested. As a Colorado resident, this had a lot of local history. Then, add my husband's schizophrenic dad - I wanted to know more about the nature versus nurture debate with the disease. Highly recommend this book.
Oof. This was an insightful read on a topic I’ve always wanted to better comprehend, but there was a lot of heavy material that was certainly difficult to read.