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A review by booklistqueen
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
dark
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Shortly after World War II, Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American Dream, raising their twelve children in Colorado Springs. Until one after another, six of their ten sons were diagnosed with schizophrenia. The tale of an American family of utmost importance to proving a genetic component to schizophrenia, Hidden Valley Road was one of the top nonfiction books of 2020.
Knowing this was an Oprah book club pick, I was excited to pick up Kolker's bestseller. Although the story is told well, it's extremely depressing: a litany of horror stories detailing mental breaks, violence, and sexual abuse, especially of the two younger sisters. The science was interesting but also extremely depressing since it is still so little understood. All in all, Hidden Valley Road was just too traumatic for me to enjoy reading it.
Knowing this was an Oprah book club pick, I was excited to pick up Kolker's bestseller. Although the story is told well, it's extremely depressing: a litany of horror stories detailing mental breaks, violence, and sexual abuse, especially of the two younger sisters. The science was interesting but also extremely depressing since it is still so little understood. All in all, Hidden Valley Road was just too traumatic for me to enjoy reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape and Child abuse