Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

10 reviews

audriew9's review

challenging informative sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Incest, and Rape

annemaries_shelves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

Hidden Valley Road as a title and a location seems fated - the perfect metaphor for all the secrets, fear, pain, and tragedy the Galvin family experienced over the decades.

I thought the blend of family biography and history of schizephrenia research (and how the two end up intersecting in the 80s onwards) was very effective. The family is large, and I appreciated the list of names (and their dates, spouses, children) and indicator at the top of each chapter on who the focus would be.

Much like the Galvins' experiences, you're in the thick of it with them and it's only at the end, years later and with the benefit of therapy and distance (physical and temporal) that you understand all the events that had to go the way they did to end up with such a unique situation. And all the ways it could've been different for everyone if the family had different resources, lived in a different time, or made different choices. Had Mimi and Don not had 12 children, or raised them differently, or if the brothers were not quite so abusive to each other and their sisters, or if the mental health care system was not the shitshow it was (and in many ways still is), etc.

Reading the book reminded me to continue unpacking my assumptions and immediate reactions -to continue navigating in that gray zone of multiple truths and causes. Almost everyone was responsible for some element of this family's experiences - and yet everyone was also a victim. Both can be true. 

If I had to quibble, I would have appreciated seeing more discussion around the cost of mental health care - it's quite experience in the States and I think an overview of how state-led and private patient care differs would be helpful for us non-American readers. Same with the income disparity between the Galvins and Garys - a deeper look at how many of the choices (or lack thereof) that the Galvins had compared to their richer friends/counterparts would have been beneficial (it was only explored in the final chapter briefly).

Hidden Valley Road is a microcosm of society and biomedical/clinical research. And much like in the book, the discussion between nature and nurture continues. We know <i>so</i> much more than we did 50 years ago (in large part thanks to families like the Galvins), but we have so far to go in terms of treatment, social supports, and destigmatizing mental illnesses like schizophrenia. 

Sidenote - I really appreciated that the author remained removed from the story. It's obvious in parts that he would've been present in those interviews/scenes, but he never includes himself as a character.

Highly recommend - but please check out the content warnings.
CW: sexual abuse and molestation of family members within the family (and separately by a priest), violence, domestic abuse (between siblings and between couples), murder, horrific treatment of mentally ill humans in the mental health care system (including restraints and sedation), discussions of mental health and illness (depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc.), sexism

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Alcoholism, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Sexism

librarymouse's review

challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

This was really interesting, though I often had trouble keeping track of the brothers because there was so many of them. I believe I've seen Margaret Galvin Johnson's art before, which I wasn't expecting when I started reading the book. Some of the research being done seems to be almost a positive spin on previous methods that had been used by the eugenics movement. This is very interesting take on reflecting on both the impact of mental illness and its treatments, and the human side of living through and coming out on the other side of trauma.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Pedophilia, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Rape, and Suicide attempt

dashes101's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

My first 5 star review of this year. I was so not expecting this when I picked up Kolker's book. However, I was quickly thrown into a deep dive of the family: the boys battling their disorders as well as the stigma, the parents fighting to keep their family intact, the daughters' own trauma from growing up in the Galvin household. The book was harrowing, riveting, and impossible to put down. A fascinating mix between the research efforts of the time, and the personal story of the family blended perfectly. Not only does this book show the horrific tragedy of schizophrenia separating people from reality, it shows the hope of a family, the difficult choices we make in the face of hardship, and the healing process. There are so many things this book explores, and I can't put them all in a review: this is simply a must-read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Ableism, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Violence

foreverinastory's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

4.0

Very informative and interesting! Definitely hard to read at times and dry.

CWs: Ableism, blood, child abuse, child death, death, death of parents, drug use, fire/fire injury, gaslighting, grief, gun violence, incest, mental illness (bipolar), murder, physical abuse, pregnancy, rape, schizophrenia/psychosis, sexual assault, self-harm, suicide attempt, suicide, terminal illness, violence. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Violence

mandi4886's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, and Torture

Minor: Cancer, War, Abortion, Chronic illness, Dementia, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Sexism, and Terminal illness

katielaine_w's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence

taymarie6's review

emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

I adored this book. Great mix of scientific vignettes and the story of the family. This authors reading style just flows well for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Ableism, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Incest, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Drug use

falfy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Extremely well researched and written. Very fascinating but heartbreaking. I love how each chapter started with the list of the family members and highlighted which ones that chapter would talk about. It made it a lot easier to follow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Ableism, Child abuse, and Rape

slantrhymes's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

5.0

I couldn't put this book down. It's sad and fascinating. Kolker  tackles extremely fraught subjects clinically and delicately, always giving the utmost respect to the people he's writing about. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicide and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Abortion, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Cancer, Car accident, Drug use, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

The author discusses all of the very, very difficult subjects as clinically and respectfully as possible--there is nothing sordid here--but he is honest about things that happened to and between the family members he interviewed for the book. Some of those things are stomach-turning.