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Robert Kolker Books

1 book·~10 min total read

Robert Kolker is an American journalist and author known for his investigative and narrative nonfiction. His work has appeared in New York magazine, The New York Times Magazine, and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Known for: Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family

Books by Robert Kolker

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family

biographies·10 min read

Hidden Valley Road tells the true story of the Galvin family, a Colorado household with twelve children, six of whom were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Through extensive interviews and research, journalist Robert Kolker explores the family’s struggles, the impact of mental illness on their lives, and the scientific efforts to understand schizophrenia. The book intertwines the Galvins’ personal history with the broader history of psychiatric research in the twentieth century.

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1

The Early Years: An American Family Dream

In the wake of World War II, Don and Mimi Galvin settled in Colorado Springs to build a life filled with purpose and structure. Don’s Air Force background enforced order and ambition; his sons were to be stars—athletes, scholars, models of postwar success. Mimi orchestrated the household with equal ...

From Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family

2

The First Signs: Donald’s Descent

Donald’s transformation marked the beginning of the family’s unraveling. Once the leader of his siblings, he began displaying erratic behavior: delusions, paranoid thoughts, bursts of anger. His parents, unprepared and uninformed, turned first to priests, then doctors. But this was the early 1960s, ...

From Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family

About Robert Kolker

Robert Kolker is an American journalist and author known for his investigative and narrative nonfiction. His work has appeared in New York magazine, The New York Times Magazine, and Bloomberg Businessweek. Kolker’s writing often focuses on social issues, crime, and the human stories behind major eve...

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Robert Kolker is an American journalist and author known for his investigative and narrative nonfiction. His work has appeared in New York magazine, The New York Times Magazine, and Bloomberg Businessweek. Kolker’s writing often focuses on social issues, crime, and the human stories behind major events. Hidden Valley Road was a New York Times bestseller and an Oprah’s Book Club selection.

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Robert Kolker is an American journalist and author known for his investigative and narrative nonfiction. His work has appeared in New York magazine, The New York Times Magazine, and Bloomberg Businessweek.

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