Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

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

8 reviews

flowchelle's review

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Bullying, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Murder

avno13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

4.0

This is a long-haul; you have to be willing and interested to confront the troubled and misunderstood history of schizophrenia. Underlying the biographical narratives of 1) research into the disease and 2) the Galvin's as a case-study are the commentaries on forgiveness, acceptance, and destigmatization of an unrelenting grip the disease has on its victims. I really enjoyed the varying perspectives, lack of judgment from the author, and truthful but sensitive retelling of the Galvin's history.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Rape, and Murder

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

ka_ke's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

4.0

Good read if you’re interested in the impacts of schizophrenia. It’s slow moving but each detail proves important. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Infidelity, Self harm, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

kendallreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Terminal illness and Suicide attempt

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.

patch's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Incest, Medical content, Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Mass/school shootings