The Galvin Siblings of "Hidden Valley Road" Tell Oprah About Their Lives Now (2024)

• In the latest Oprah's Book Club special, Oprah sits down with Robert Kolker, author of Hidden Valley Road, and four of the siblings featured in the book: Lindsay, Richard, Margaret, and Mark Galvin.
  
• Hidden Valley Road tells the extraordinary story of Don and Mimi Galvin, who had six children diagnosed with schizophrenia—and six children untouched by the illness.
• Catch the entire special on Apple TV+ starting Friday, June 12.

In the latest Oprah's Book Club special, Oprah delves into the making of the book Hidden Valley Road, her most recent Book Club pick. Part part family drama, part medical mystery, Hidden Valley Road tells the extraordinary story of Mimi and Don Galvin, who had six children diagnosed with schizophrenia—and six children untouched by the illness.

“This is a riveting true story of an American family that reads like a medical detective journey,” Oprah said of her 84thBook Club pick, and her fourth through her partnership with Apple. “It reveals the shame, denial, shock, confusion and misunderstanding of mental illness at a time when no one was really sure what schizophrenia was or how to treat it."

In the hour-long special, Oprah speaks to the people who know the saga best: Four of the Galvin siblings not diagnosed with schizophrenia, and author Robert Kolker, who chronicled their family's twists and turns in the 400-page book. "I didn't want this to be a monster movie. I wanted it to be a a story about a family that anyone who suffers from mental illness who reads this book might be able to relate to, as well," he said.

Premiering on Apple TV+ on June 12, the special was conducted entirely over Zoom due to social distancing measures. Despite its virtual set-up, the special reaches more than one intimate, emotional break-through.

Take Oprah's conversation with Mark Galvin, whose three brothers were diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was in his 20s. "I feel like I lost the three brothers that were closest to me in age," Mark said, with his voice cracking. "They were my friends." In another segment, Margaret Galvin explained the emotional repercussions of effectively being banished from her "chaotic" household at 13 to be raised by family friends. "It became clear that something wrong had happened, and I was wronged, in a sense. It was very painful," she said.

The special begins with an unforgettable exchange, in which Oprah and Lindsay Galvin connect over their shared experience of childhood sexual abuse. Like her older sister, Lindsay was abused by her brother, Jim, starting from a young age. "It's hard to understand that when you're a child, you don't actually have the language for it, so it's hard to explain what's happening to you," Oprah, who has spoken about her own experiences, said. "You think it's love," Lindsay replied.

As the special makes clear, Richard, Mark, Margaret, and Lindsay Galvin each had vastly different experiences growing up Galvin. But they're united in their hope that Hidden Valley Road has a strong impact on readers.

"I hope and pray this helps other families that are having some of the same issues, and helps the country, and everybody who reads this book, be sympathetic to the mentally ill," Mark said.

The siblings' participation in Hidden Valley Road continues the work they've done for decades to further the study of schizophrenia—simply by being themselves. The Galvins were one of the first families to be studied by the National Institutes of Mental Health, and their DNA has informed genetic research and the hunt for effective treatment.

With their family's legacy in mind, the Galvin siblings hope Hidden Valley Road eases schizophrenia's societal stigma, and replaces it with empathy. "Our shame around this illness is something that our society has to come to terms with. Society has turned our back on these people. They make up a huge percentage of homeless people. My hope is by telling our story, we can bring a higher level of compassion to this," Lindsay, who was her brothers' caretaker, said.

The three surviving Galvin sons with schizophrenia—Donald, Matthew, and Peter—are currently living in a facility in Colorado, and were not interviewed for the Apple TV+ special. However, they are aware of the book's existence: "They're thrilled. Peter apparently carries it around like a Bible now," Lindsay said, laughing. Kolker took pains to represent the brothers fairly and compassionately in his book. "One big goal was that the mentally ill sons in the family were depicted as human beings," Kolker said.

In the special, the four siblings also gave updates on their lives today. For Richard, the president of a mining company, the publication of Hidden Valley Road introduced uncomfortable public scrutiny. "One of the biggest investors in my company called me and said, 'If I'd known this, I'd never had invested in your company,'" he said, adding that he hopes this book changes negative perceptions of mental illness.

Along with the rest of his siblings interviewed, Richard now has a family of his own. Mark and his wife recently became grandparents, and moved to be closer to their son. Lindsay owns an event-planning company, and has son and daughter with her husband. Margaret is a painter, writer, and mother of two. "I have a wonderful nuclear family," Margaret said.

The special concludes with Oprah reading Kolker's favorite passage of the 400-page book—which happens to be in harmony with the siblings' remarks: "Our relationships can destroy us, but they can change us, too, and restore us. And without ever seeing it happen, they define us. We are human because the people around us make us human."

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