The Galvins were a family of 14, living in rural middle america after the end of World War II. They believed that a hard working Christian family that aspired to the American dream would achieve great things. They had no way of knowing that half of the twelve children would be diagnosed with schizophrenia by young adulthood. The 12 children were born between 1945 and 1965, during a time when mental illness was thought of as a psychological problem caused by lack of morals, bad mothering, and treated with electroshock therapy,debilitating medications, and other questionable practices. The book is as much about the failure of the medical science as it is about the Galvins oftentimes hopeful but harrowing path through hospitalizations, domestic violence, abuse, tragedy, recovery and healing.
Author Robert Kolker shows us how insidious mental illness can be for the sufferer and for the family members close to them. In a time when it was treated like a moral failing instead of medical emergency or chronic illness, the Galvins believed that if they tried harder, ignored the trauma, and kept trying to help their sons, they could heal their boys. The book draws from hours of interviews with the Galvins, their friends and their therapists, as well with the scientists who studied the Galvins’ genetic material to form the foundation for the National Institute of Mental Health’s current research into the genetics of schizophrenia.
Because of this, this book ends on a hopeful note that future generations will not suffer the way the Galvins did. Decades later we are still learning about this disease and its effect on the brain. We know more because of their contributions.
Well-researched, compelling, and haunting read for fans of science writing, family biographies, and true crime stories.
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