A review by akappel32
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

challenging informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

A disturbingly interesting read. Once I got into the heart it this I couldn’t put it down. Hidden Valley Road (also the name of the road I grew up on in AZ) is the story of the Galvin Family, who settled in Colorado Springs (where I now live.) Through a tremendous amount of research we learn the story of Don and Mini and their 12 (yes, 12) children. Over the course of their lives, 6 of the children are diagnosed with schizophrenia. What comes next is a heartbreaking, hard to swallow, real story of each of the children’s lives and how the  disease (or as Kolker says later in the book, the potential symptom) takes over their lives. The Galvin’s story is one that will put you through your paces, it will make you angry, sad, upset, and inspired. There’s a lot to process. Kolker beautifully intertwines their story with medical information to put in perspective just how little was know about schizophrenia, and how this family eventually became the cornerstone for researchers and doctors to further study the diagnosis. It’s amazing to think that even today there still aren’t many answers. If you have it in you, I highly recommending reading this. 
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