the heartrending story of a midcentury american family with twelve children six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia that became sciences great hope in the quest to understand the diseasedon and mimi galvin seemed to be living the american dream after world war ii dons work with the air force brought them to colorado where their twelve children perfectly spanned the baby boom the oldest born in 1945 the youngest in 1965 in those years there was an established script for a family like the galvinsaspiration hard work upward mobility domestic harmonyand they worked hard to play their parts but behind the scenes was a different story psychological breakdown sudden shocking violence hidden abuse by the mid1970s six of the ten galvin boys one after another were diagnosed as schizophrenic how could all this happen to one family what took place inside the house on hidden valley road was so extraordinary that the galvins became one of the first families to be studied by the national institute of mental health their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia from the era of institutionalization lobotomy and the schizophrenogenic mother to the search for genetic markers for the disease always amid profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself and unbeknownst to the galvins samples of their dna informed decades of genetic research that continues today offering paths to treatment prediction and even eradication of the disease for future generations with clarity and compassion bestselling and awardwinning author robert kolker uncovers one familys unforgettable legacy of suffering love and hope