What readers think of Hidden Valley Road, plus links to write your own review.

This is a true horror story. It is impossible to read this book and not feel blessed—no matter what you're dealing with in your life.

This is the story of the Galvin family. Mimi and Don Galvin had 12 children—born from 1945 to 1965. Ten boys, two girls. Six of the boys developed schizophrenia, which not only wrecked their individual lives, but also wreaked permanent havoc on the rest of the family. When mental illness strikes a family, especially of this severity, everyone is irreparably touched, and often damaged, by it.

Author Robert Kolker does an extraordinary job dividing the tale into two parts: the personal and the scientific. First and foremost, this is the very personal, very tragic family story of the Galvins and how what seemed a picture-perfect life went astoundingly askew. In addition, he offers extensive factual information about schizophrenia, the disturbing history of its treatment, and the progression of medical research about the disease over the years, which is still frustratingly slow, as well as the vital role the Galvins played in that research.

The book is imminently readable—even the medical information, which speaks volumes about Kolker's talent for "translating" scientific data, facts, and figures into an understandable and interesting narrative.

But the gem of the book is in the family stories, their 14 individual personalities, the horrific childhoods the Galvin children had, especially the two girls, and all they have done as adults to overcome those unspeakable circumstances. It is the story of two parents—a mother who was a demanding perfectionist with an uncanny ability to ignore the horror in front of her but was also the ultimate caregiver and a father who purposefully absented himself from the chaos and confusion of home through demanding work and numerous love affairs.

This is a story of suffering and heartbreak, but it's also a story of human resilience and the power of love. As much as it's a story of mental illness, science, and medicine, it is most of all a human story. A family story. And while it left me gasping in anguish, I was also filled with hope.

This book perfectly balances story telling of the Galvin family and a medical diary. Absolutely loved it.

Excellent book about loss, tragedy, strength, and hope.

The deft assured writing was the icing on the cake as it explored the history of schizophrenia and the price it cost for this family of 12 children. Six of the children were eventually diagnosed with this disease as the reader becomes intimately enveloped in their individual stories. A family is a system; what affects one member of the family is bound to alter another person's experience. Throughout the childrens' years the reader is assaulted by the damage done, by the horror and torture of the delusions and altered voices and by the lack of true and meaningful conversation with one another. This family become an investigator's dream to study the nature of this disease and ultimately helped to further define what schizophrenia is and is not. It was a fascinating story but difficult to even imagine how anyone could come out healthy under those circumstances. I did find it a bit tedious by the end, as I just didn't want to keep feeling all the hurt and lacerations it was doing to my soul.