Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

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

69 reviews

jazzblue's review

dark emotional informative tense slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, and Alcohol

bookwitch's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

4.0

A slow paced, eye opening, realistic look at what schzophrenia looks like day to day as opposed to it's depiction in media. So sad that the brothers suffer(ed) with little to no understanding, but amazing that the family's DNA was being used to further research and make modern discoveries.

This has a docuseries adaption (ish) on some platform; it was interesting to actually get to hear some of the brothers talk about their own ideas of their experience. Interesting to think about the morality of allowing the sister to speak for the deceased ones, etc. Very messy when you start thinking about it that way though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Suicide and Murder

maysiebe's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

courtthelionberryann's review against another edition

emotional informative sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

haleybre's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder

gretchenplz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

4.0

I'm glad I read this after watching the "documentary" about the family. 

The production and narrative laid out by the documentary really rubbed me the wrong way, and I feel so much better after hearing this much more humanized version of the Galvin family. 

This story is incredibly sad, but at its heart, it's about 14 people who are just trying their best, all dealing with incredibly deep levels of trauma in the only ways they know how. 

My criticism is that Mary/Lindsey is very much an unreliable narrator. Very much gives a martyr complex. Again, I empathize with her trauma, her feelings of responsibility for her sick brothers, and her frustration with her non-sick siblings, but I feel conflicted, especially knowing the trauma she inflicted on her own kids. However, I think the author did a great job researching and writing from all POVs and not just relying on one person for the story.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

melissafirman's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Incest, Rape, and Sexual assault

fanchera's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

redvelvetpenguins's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Torture, and Murder

Minor: Incest and Rape

Electro Shock Therapy

ak_johnson22's review

hopeful informative tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault