Book Review: Hidden Valley Road

HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD | Robert Kolker
04.07.2020 | Doubleday Books
Rating: 5/5 stars

The Galvin’s, a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, became science’s great hope in the quest to understand the disease. On the outside Don and Mimi Galvin appear to be living the American dream. Residing in Colorado, they bring twelve children into the world, the oldest born in 1945 and the youngest in 1965. Every member of the family works hard to keep up their facade of a picture perfect family living in domestic harmony. Underneath the veil of perfection are instances of psychological breakdowns, shocking violence, and hidden abuse. By the mid-1970’s, six of the ten Galvin boys are diagnosed as schizophrenic. How could all of this happen to one family?

HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD is a stunning work of nonfiction surrounding the Galvin family. I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this book, but what I found was incredible. From the very start I was transfixed by the Galvin family and the ways that their family evolved. With the birth of each child came new challenges and new secrets, many of which I was floored to hear revealed. This isn’t an easy read by any means and covers many traumatic events, which happened to various Galvin family members. If you’re interested in mental health, this is a great book to add to your TBR!

This book is available to buy from: Amazon | Book Depository

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