Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker: Conversation Starters

By dailyBooks

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker: Conversation Starters

'Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family' is a nonfiction book written by Robert Kolker. The book was labeled a New York Times Bestseller in the nonfiction category. It was also a pick for Oprah's Book Club revival. 
It is a depiction of the Galvin family of Colorado Springs, a mid-century US family with a dozen children from the baby boom era. Six of them get diagnosed with schizophrenia leading the family to become the subjects of researchers investigating a genetic origin for schizophrenia. It was also the first family to be studied by the National Institutes of Mental Health. A saga of mental illness treatment and a story of hope, the Galvins stay with you forever.

A Brief Look Inside: 
 
EVERY GOOD BOOK CONTAINS A WORLD FAR DEEPER
than the surface of its pages. The characters and their world come alive, 
and the characters and its world still live on. 
Conversation Starters is peppered with questions designed to
bring us beneath the surface of the page
and invite us into the world that lives on. 
 
These questions can be used to create hours of conversation:
 
• Foster a deeper understanding of the book
• Promote an atmosphere of discussion for groups
• Assist in the study of the book, either individually or corporately
• Explore unseen realms of the book as never seen before
 
Disclaimer: This book you are about to enjoy is an independent resource to supplement the original book, enhancing your experience. If you have not yet purchased a copy of the original book, please do before purchasing this unofficial Conversation Starters.
 
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• Language: English
• Publisher: Daily Books
• Release date: May 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9788835875772

Book preview

Answers

Introducing Hidden Valley Road

'Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family' written by Robert Kolker is based upon real-life events of Galvin family members. They found themselves grappling with illness and trauma that haunted them for the better part of their lives. The Galvins were a large and happy family with parents and twelve children. However, half of the children, i.e., six, were diagnosed with the mental condition schizophrenia, which led to the downfall of a once prospering family.

The author starts the story by tracing it back to the family's history by starting with Mimi, who was the daughter of an aristocrat. Her husband, Don, was a military man who actively held diplomatic posts along with teaching political science. Margaret or Mimi and Donald or Don Galvin were born just after the Great Depression and married each other during World War II.

Mimi had longed for a refined and highbrow life in the heart of New York City, but her husband's vocation took them to Colorado Springs. So she redirected her dreams into carefully crafting a flawless family. The community where they lived was initially jealous of the Galvins' perfect