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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
Definitely worth reading if you're interested in psychology, history and treatment of mental illness, and a real story about an American family. Only reason I give it four stars rather than five is because I lost some interest in chapters about history and treatment and wanted to get back to learning about the family.
Washington Post describes it best when the reviewer says this book is both chilling and compassionate. I was disturbed by some of the behavior described in the book and frustrated when treatments wouldn't work or family members returned to the hospital. At times I wanted to blame certain family members but my opinion changed throughout the book.
A book is at its best when it makes you contemplate its topic and ultimately change - or at least challenge - your beliefs. HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD does that and is an important contribution to the ongoing attempt to treat schizophrenia.
Washington Post describes it best when the reviewer says this book is both chilling and compassionate. I was disturbed by some of the behavior described in the book and frustrated when treatments wouldn't work or family members returned to the hospital. At times I wanted to blame certain family members but my opinion changed throughout the book.
A book is at its best when it makes you contemplate its topic and ultimately change - or at least challenge - your beliefs. HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD does that and is an important contribution to the ongoing attempt to treat schizophrenia.
This was hard to get through at times. Unbelievable that this is a true story. I feel for everyone involved: the sick children, the parents, the well children. Everyone in this family could have benefitted from more resources, education, and help. This book truly highlights why it is so important to destigmatize mental illness and expand access to Behavioral Health care.
“To be a member of the Galvin family is to never stop tripping on landmines of family history, buried in odd places, buried away out of shame.”
4.25
4.25
Good Red
This was a really interesting and informative read and I think anyone pursing a career in medicine should read this!!
This was a really interesting and informative read and I think anyone pursing a career in medicine should read this!!
This was really good. It was a lot of narrative from the actual family being studied, and a lot of research and genetic discussion to match. Some of the things they said were really surprising to me, like schizophrenia being on a spectrum related to both bipolar and autism. I was also surprised by some of the revelations near the end about the parents, and how the 2nd generation became impacted and involved.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Finished it extremely fast. The Galvin Family has such a rich and dark/sad history that was wonderfully told by Kolker. Reading about each of the six brothers slowly succumbing to schizophrenia and how the family managed their schizophrenia in a time where schizophrenia was much less understood felt like I was a part of the journey too. To be honest, I did get a little loss when the focus shifted over to the researchers, but it was still overall an extremely good to learn about this extraordinary family as well as their resilience and strength.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Suicide attempt
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
This book is one of the only non-fiction books that I have read, as of late, that I can truly say that I really gained a significant amount of knowledge about a particular topic. This well written narrative delves into the rich and complicated history of schizophrenia and other mental illness as well as the associated research, theories, and treatments or lack thereof. One can learn and easily grasp just exactly how the brain of someone diagnosed with such an awful disease works fundamentally different than someone without it. The road of discovering, defining, observing, and treating schizophrenia is indeed a bumpy, but utterly fascinating road. However, beyond the intellectual curiosities, and at the core of this book, is a family absolutely wrecked with the unfortunate circumstance of six out of twelve children becoming diagnosed with schizophrenia or another related mental illness. The complex and often somber story places a face, a real person, a real family dealing with this extremely difficult situation. At times their actions are frustrating, disappointing and disheartening, but nevertheless makes for great reading. It’s heavy and can even make you feel a little down, but for me, by the end you feel hopeful that finally all the research may be paying off.