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Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
39 reviews
sierrah_2101's review
4.25
For me, this book was a fairly slow start as Kolker first sets up the history between Mimi and Don, where we can already see cracks forming in their partnership. But, once Donald - their first son - was born, things quickly spiraled from there. My main appreciation for this book was Kolker's writing. Whether it comes to complicated family interactions or translating complex technical and medical discoveries for the layman. It very rarely dragged, and at times, it almost felt like time was moving too fast through the pages. I never felt lost or overwhelmed until the
As for the downsides, there were only two major ones. One of which other reviewers have also brought up multiple times, but I wish that there was more discussion of the personal thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of other family members other than the two youngest daughters, which are Kolker's focuses throughout the story. I understand the difficulty in interviewing people with schizophrenia, especially people with as severe cases as some of the Galvin sons had, but it almost felt like half the story was missing without their opinions and ideas presented really at all.
The other is that, despite the many decades of devoted scientific work it feels as though... Not much happened? Again, I can't blame this on Kolker at all, I went into this book understanding it wasn't going to "crack the case on schizophrenia" at all, but there sadly wasn't much more than,
Overall, this is a fascinating and very digestible read that will leave you just as hopeful as upset with everything these parents and twelve children went through. An enlightening and humble book, I would highly recommend Kolker's work to anyone interested in the history of mental illnesses and the monumental cultural and scientific changes that America has seen in the past 60 years. 4.25/5 stars.
Graphic: Rape, Mental illness, Incest, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Murder, Gun violence, Death, Suicide, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Medical content, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Emotional abuse, Drug use, War, Physical abuse, and Infidelity
texashuneyb's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Rape, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Violence, Abortion, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
missmichalalynn's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Self harm, Pedophilia, Drug use, Death, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
bparkinson31's review
4.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, and Incest
Moderate: Infidelity, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Suicide, and Violence
te_ss_i's review
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Chronic illness, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Abandonment
katebooklist's review
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Sexual violence, Rape, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Death, Confinement, Sexual assault, Murder, Incest, Medical trauma, Sexism, Addiction, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Child abuse, Cursing, Dementia, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Chronic illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Child death
sydneylittlefield's review
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Medical content, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Sexual assault
samarakroeger's review
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicide
lagaialettrice's review
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Rape, Mental illness, and Pedophilia
jenniferbbookdragon's review
3.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault