Oprah S Book Club Names Robert Kolker S Hidden Valley Road The New Pick For April
Written by investigative journalist and author Robert Kolker, the nonfiction book offers an illuminating glimpse into the history, psyche and medical prognosis of a well-to-do family’s battle with schizophrenia after six of Don and Mimi Galvin’s 12 children are diagnosed with the mental illness at a time when little is professionally known of the disease. Despite embodying the typical markers of the American dream including good looks and even better financial standing—Don worked as an Air Force Academy official while Mimi displayed the exuberance and skill of an award-winning housewife—the failing mental health of six of the couple’s 10 sons resulted in pure chaos for the family ranging from the repeated rape of the only Galvin girls, daughters Margaret and Mary, at the hands of a number of their brothers to multiple shock therapy treatments, incessant violence and even death....