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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
medium-paced
An interesting look at the Galvin family but also mental illness as a whole and the ramifications of it. I'm not usually someone who reads nonfiction but I'm glad I stuck it out and finished this one
Another book I quit. This one I made about 75% of the way through, but then I was just over it. This family's story is fascinating, and this book is clearly well-researched, but it was all just...icky. It didn't help that I was listening to the audiobook, and something about the narrator took an already lacking depiction of women to something cloying.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
An interesting read - am American family with twelve children, and half of them diagnosed with schizophrenia. Interwoven throughout their story is the parallel journey of scientists searching for answers about the disease - what causes it and, more important, how to cure it.
What frustrated me was the writing - there were twelve children, but only the oldest two boys and the girls (children #11 and #12) stood out to me - the boys in between all sort of blended into one mass of “them” - even though some were mentally ill and others were not.
The book was also about 100 pages too long. The story would have been just as compelling without some of the anecdotes.
What frustrated me was the writing - there were twelve children, but only the oldest two boys and the girls (children #11 and #12) stood out to me - the boys in between all sort of blended into one mass of “them” - even though some were mentally ill and others were not.
The book was also about 100 pages too long. The story would have been just as compelling without some of the anecdotes.
emotional
informative
medium-paced
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Fascinating and tragic story of a family dealing with significant mental illness.
Incredibly fascinating, informative, compelling, and poignant. The author’s mountain of meticulous research is folded neatly into a beautifully readable book that makes the evolution of schizophrenia study accessible and the real story of the Galvins so very immediate and moving. This was not a book I would have originally picked up, but after hearing a friend recommend it, I was curious - and I’m so glad I did.
A fascinating and deeply researched story about one family's struggle with schizophrenia. I really enjoyed how the author juxtaposed the family's story alongside the chapters involving the study of mental health and specifically, the research into schizophrenia over time. I couldn't believe all the craziness that was going on in the Galvin household, and how the parents could be so blind and overwhelmed. How anyone came out of that house without a mental illness is beyond me. Kolker has done meticulous research, aided by the help of Lindsay and Margaret, and that made for an incredible book written with honesty. Highly recommend.