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Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family

by Robert Kolker

★★★★☆ 4.15 (148 060 ratings)
2020 · 400 pages · ~6h 40m read · Nonfiction

This haunting narrative tells the story of the Galvin family, a mid-century American household where six of twelve children were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Robert Kolker explores the family's internal struggles alongside the history of psychiatric research, as the Galvins became a crucial case study in the search for a genetic cause of the disease. It is a deeply empathetic portrait of a family in crisis and a fascinating look at the evolution of mental health science. The book is both a medical mystery and a moving human drama.

A popular book with millions of readers worldwide.

Topic: How It WorksStyle: Narrative
psychologyhistoryhealth

Notable Quotes

"we are more than just our genes. We are, in some way, a product of the people who surround us—the people we’re forced to grow up with, and the people we choose to be with later."
"You are the only variable in the situation you have control over,"
"Our relationships can destroy us, but they can change us, too, and restore us, and without us ever seeing it happen, they define us."

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