When journalist Robert Kolker first learned about the Galvin family through a colleague’s introduction to one of the family members, he didn’t know whether their story had all the elements needed to become a book until he began the reporting. The narrative that unfolded—a family in which six of the 10 sons developed schizophrenia—provided a compelling framework for exploring the history of schizophrenia research from its discovery through the present day.

The result, the highly acclaimed “Hidden Valley Road,” has continued to have an impact even two years after its 2020 publication, particularly in addressing the stigma associated with schizophrenia. Kolker will discuss how the book came about, his realization that it could be a book, how he found and wove medical research into his narrative, and what the book’s current impact has been for both the Galvin family and the understanding of schizophrenia more broadly.