Between 1945 and 1965, Mimi Galvin gave birth to 12 children (10 boys, and then 2 girls) while her husband, Don, climbed his way up the military ladder, eventually scoring a prime position at the Air Force headquarters in Colorado. From the outside, their family was picture perfect, with sons who excelled in sports and music, while remaining devout Catholics. But as the children grew up, the Galvins began to experience problems that were unlike almost any other family in the world: six of the Galvin boys were diagnosed with schizophrenia, while the remaining six children and their parents tiptoed around the situation, attempting to maintain normalcy, whatever that meant.
By focusing on a family that provided medical researchers with a wealth of data on schizophrenia, this fascinating book gives insight into the changing world of mental health diagnosis and medical research, as well as the humanity of those who have schizophrenia and the impact of the disease on their relatives. Through it all, Kolker treats the Galvins and the medical researchers he profiles with respect and honesty.
(Trigger warning: this book discusses sexual abuse, suicide, and physical violence.)
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