Warning: This book covers some incredibly difficult topics. Please be advised before reading.
The discussion of mental health is still a very hush hush topic in my opinion. I mean compared to where it was ten years ago, it has definitely become a topic more easily discussed and studied but it is still not at where it should be. I mean look at how much resentment Simone Biles got this past Olympics for stepping back to focus on what is best for her and her mental health. The media went crazy! One of the world’s best athletes to ever grace this earth was constantly beaten down for just wanting to take some time for herself. So though we have become more open to talking about mental health, there is still so much we can improve on. And with this book taking place from 1940’s to present, it was a time where mental health was hidden away.
Hidden Valley Road is a true story that follows the Galvin family. In the span of 20 years Don and Mimi Galvin have twelve kids. Ten boys and then the youngest two finally being daughters. By the mid 1970’s, six of the ten Galvin sons are diagnosed with schizophrenia. What looks to be a happy home from the outside is actually filled with neglect, psychological breakdowns, large amounts of violence, and hidden abuse when you open the door and walk inside. But in the 1970’s it was a lot easier to send someone who was facing mental health struggles away and supplying them with lots of different drugs instead of finding them the proper care that they needed. The chapters go back and fourth between the mindset of one of the family members to a more scientific approach to try and understand what may cause schizophrenia especially what may cause instances of it being present in multiple family members.
Robert Kolker did a great job of writing this book to make sure that the behavior of the Galvin’s was not downplayed but also with a compassion note that was needed. This book was incredibly tough to read for numerous reasons and it took me a while to just understand what I was reading. The amount of trauma this family goes through would be difficult for anyone to read and not be effected. Though it was a very well written book I would not recommend for everyone just due to the contents of it. But it brought up a great discussion of how hidden mental health has been over the years and what we can possibly do to change that.
Until Next Time, The Library Abroad
The Library Abroad 
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