Reviews tagging 'Grief'

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

20 reviews

ajpb's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Medical content, Grief, Drug use, Incest, Sexual assault, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Mental illness

bparkinson31's review

emotional informative reflective

4.25

---

Content Warnings

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

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

---

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.

---

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

realpteradactyl's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Grief, Incest, Medical content, Murder, Suicide, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative slow-paced

4.0

God damnit big pharma 

I love how they go through the process of research. Pathway mutations!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Self harm, Incest, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, and Pedophilia

citrinuke's review

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Death

joanna's review

dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Sexual violence, and Mental illness

Minor: Grief

gmd316's review

emotional informative fast-paced

4.75

Such an interesting read on the history of Schizophrenia research intertwined with one family's battle with the illness and the mental health industry in America. Highly recommend even if non-fiction is not for you usually, it is mainly told through narrative!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Rape

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Grief

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. 

---

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