This is a harrowing and intricate nonfiction account of an all-American family of 12 (10 boys and two girls) born between 1945 and 1965.
Bestselling and award-winning author Robert Kolker presents an interesting story about this large Colorado family plagued by schizophrenia.
He also explores some of the research that has been done on this fairly common but devastating mental illness that affects one in one hundred people.
With clarity and compassion, Kolker uncovers one family’s unforgettable legacy of suffering, love, and hope.
“Meticulous research combined with unbiased treatment of the facts leads to a very devastating true story like no other,” said a review in goodreads.com. “It is written clearly and gives a broad picture of ways to define and cure a disease which terrifies us.”
“For a family, schizophrenia is, primarily, a felt experience, as if the foundation of the family is permanently tilted,” Kolker writes.
His is a feat of narrative journalism but also a study in empathy; he unspools the stories with enormous compassion while tracing the scientific advances in treating the illness.