Hidden Valley Road
Inside the Mind of an American Family
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Hidden Valley Road
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Narrated by:
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Sean Pratt
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Written by:
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Robert Kolker
About this listen
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • ONE OF GQ's TOP 50 BOOKS OF LITERARY JOURNALISM IN THE 21st CENTURY • The heartrending story of a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science's great hope in the quest to understand the disease.
"Reads like a medical detective journey and sheds light on a topic so many of us face: mental illness."—Oprah Winfrey
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 another, 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 Institute of Mental Health. Their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalization, lobotomy, and the schizophrenogenic mother to the search for genetic markers for the disease, always amid 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, best-selling and award-winning author Robert Kolker uncovers one family's unforgettable legacy of suffering, love, and hope.
©2020 Robert Kolker (P)2020 Random House AudioYou may also enjoy...
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What the critics say
“Hidden Valley Road is a riveting true story of an American family that reads like a medical detective journey and sheds light on a topic so many of us face: mental illness.” —Oprah Winfrey
“A feat of empathy and narrative journalism.”—Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times
“Magisterial . . . A weave of gripping reportage and scientific detective story . . . Hidden Valley Road is destined to become a classic of narrative nonfiction.”—Hamilton Cain, Minneapolis Star Tribune
What listeners say about Hidden Valley Road
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sarah
- 2020-11-10
Highly Recommend
This was an amazing account of an incredibly open and honest family who attempted to survive and thrive in the face of the most serious of mental illnesses. The author took great care and attention to take the reader on this multigenerational journey. Would absolutely recommend!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Carolyn Ledwell
- 2020-04-29
What an incredible story!
The story of this family is a testament to the power of resilience despite the secrets, the illness and pain.
" The clearest way that you can show endurance is by sticking with the family." Anne Tyler
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Camilla A.
- 2021-07-11
Loved this book!
If you love biographies, families dynamics and learning something new; in the case schizophrenia, you will LOVE this story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- sierra harris
- 2021-08-20
best book I ever read
I absolutely loved how this book followed the life of a very messy family as they broke down the history of mental illness I'm America
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Blair Mills
- 2023-02-23
Amazing work
Fantastic and compelling story that gives not only a tragic families history but the history of the illness thst afflicts them.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-10-29
A must read!!
This story needed to be told and should be read by anyone desiring a deeper understanding of the complex dynamic between mental illness, the person and their loved ones. So informative about schizophrenia and the need for early intervention support for the person and the family.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Heather Plesniarski
- 2020-05-22
OUTSTANDING!!!!!
Best book you will EVER read, ..... it has now become one of my personal top 10!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jackie Appleby
- 2020-06-18
I couldn't put it down!
2 stories in one. The Galvin Family story was saddening but fascinating at the same time. Questions raised through out around potential causes of the disease, the age old argument of nature vrs nurture. How each of the 14 family members were affected even though only 6 were officially diagnosed.
The story of schizophrenia throughout the 1900's, the various treatment regimes that changed as new research and technology became available and the very sad fact that despite continued work in this field there is still no definitive answer on what causes it or how best to treat it.
The two intertwined stories made this an exceptional read that had me hooked fro. the start!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-05-25
Informative book
I found this book very informative for anyone who has an interest in mental illness. The narrator spoke very clearly and concisely. A little technical in some areas but overall an excellent read/listen. I particularly enjoyed how both the personal and scientific perspectives were presented.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2024-12-03
A compelling look inside the worlds of schizophrenia and all those affected by this still confounding disease
A well balanced telling of the impacts of this disease on both the afflicted, and the unaffiliated who were left to deal with it as best they could. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
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