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Hidden Valley Road
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
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Hidden Valley Road
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Summary
12 children.
6 of them diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Science's greatest hope in understanding the disease.
One of Barack Obama's Favourite Books of 2020
TIME 100 Must-Read Books Of 2020 Pick
New York Times best seller
Selected as Oprah's Book Club Pick
For fans of Educated, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Three Identical Strangers.
Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. After World War II, Don's work with the Air Force brought them to Colorado, where their 12 children perfectly spanned the baby boom: the oldest born in 1945, the youngest in 1965. In those years, there was an established script for a family like the Galvins - aspiration, hard work, upward mobility, domestic harmony - and they worked hard to play their parts. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. By the mid-1970s, six of the 10 Galvin boys, one after the other, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. How could all this happen to one family?
What took place inside the house on Hidden Valley Road was so extraordinary that the Galvins became one of the first families to be studied by the National Institutes of Mental Health. Their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalisation, lobotomy and the schizophrenogenic mother, to the search for genetic markers for the disease, always amidst profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself. And unbeknownst to the Galvins, samples of their DNA informed decades of genetic research that continues today, offering paths to treatment, prediction and even eradication of the disease for future generations.
With clarity and compassion, bestselling and award-winning author Robert Kolker uncovers one family's unforgettable legacy of suffering, love and hope.
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Critic reviews
"Hidden Valley Road contains everything: scientific intrigue, meticulous reporting, startling revelations and, most of all, a profound sense of humanity. It is that rare book that can be read again and again." (David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon)
"An extraordinary case study and tour de force of reporting." (Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind)
"This book tore my heart out. It is a revelation-about the history of mental health treatment, about trauma, foremost about family and a more-than-worthy follow-up to Robert Kolker's brilliant Lost Girls." (Megan Abbott, Edgar Award-winning author of Dare Me and Give Me Your Hand)
What listeners say about Hidden Valley Road
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-05-21
Fascinating
What an amazing story ! Heartbreak and wondrous in turn. Hard to believe that it's a true story.
Excellent paced narration, difficult subject matter handled very sensitively.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jackie O
- 28-11-20
Excellent
This book was fascinating to listen to if you’re interested in mental health..
It was put together in an ordered way, that enables you to follow the story of a family that faced many challenges.
Big praise for the narrator.
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- Anonymous User
- 25-01-23
recommend
Such an interesting read. It was a little confusing as it seemed to flit a little but would definitely recommend!
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- Viktoria Bozso
- 25-05-20
eye opening
I enjoyed learning about the Galvin's family history and learning so much about mental illness. I loved the fact that there was alot of background information about how they were working on developing medication and other treatments for schizophrenic people. Being the 8th child out of nine I very much related to Lynsey and Margaret being the youngest member of a big family. that feeling of being lost never goes away.
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3 people found this helpful
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- CD
- 21-04-20
Fascinating
A fascinating insight into the evolution of schizophrenia treatment and research through the lens of a single extraordinary family.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Cat
- 04-08-21
Gripping
Really great book which I found fascinating. Unlike some audiobooks the narration on this is great, very easy to listen to.
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- Liz Jackson
- 26-11-22
A fascinating listen
One of the best books I’ve listened to. A fascinating subject matter, well written and beautifully narrated.
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- Anonymous User
- 30-05-21
Amazing book! A must read!
Absolutely brilliant! Love, love, LOVE this book! I couldn't stop reading it! It's so well researched and written - from the scientific side, historical overview of the illness to insights into what a mental illness does to a family.
Having one person in the family sub coming to schizophrenia can change a family forever and influence generations to come. The Galvins, a family of 14, had 6 members of the family with schizophrenia. Their path is painful and scars will be with them forever, influencing even the next generation.
The fear, guilt, feelings of helplessness, and loneliness are all something the surviving members of this family carry with them. To put all their family secrets, some of which are extremely disturbing, out in the open, share them with the world, is very brave and gives hope to other families influenced by this illness. The author did an amazing job at talking to all of the surviving members of the family, their friends, and scientists, collecting their stories, and shaping them into this brilliant book!
Schizophrenia might be the mental illness we know the least about. Still, through the book, we see that some, although extremely tiny, progress is being made into trying to understand it and maybe even at some point treat or prevent it.
At times disturbing, heavy, but brutally honest and raw, this book should find its way to your reading list. It's fascinating and informative. You'll learn and be shocked. But, it opens a conversation that is very much needed when it comes to removing the stigma from mental illnesses.
The narrator does an extremely well job and made it very easy to listen to the audiobook.
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- Gabriel Sirghie
- 15-03-22
my top book
very good book and interesting sad but captivating story.
Didn't miss a thing.well recommended
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- Natalie L
- 20-11-20
Game changer
Such unique insight, heart wrenching yet also leaves you feeling full of hope and compassion, excellent narrating or such difficult topics
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