What We Are Reading
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
(CW: mental illness, violence, sexual abuse, suicide)
"One of the most celebrated nonfiction books of 2020 and an Oprah book club selection, this book is about the Galvin family and their experience with mental illness. From the outside they seemed the perfect 1960s American family, but of the 12 children (10 boys, 2 girls), 6 of the boys were ultimately diagnosed with schizophrenia. They would become a case study for researchers to uncover the cause of the condition amidst a scientific argument about its cause. In fact, their genetic data and medical history is still at the heart of research today. Using that medical history and interviews with family and friends, Kolker relates the devastating effect that mental illness can have on a family, along with the history of the condition and its treatment. There is nothing sensational here, just a powerful and tragic story that needs no dramatization. It is dark and haunting, and it is excellent. I cannot recommend it highly enough, though with caveats about the content. This is a book you should be prepared for."
Looking for readalikes? Check out
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and
The Best Minds: A Story of a Friendship, Madness and the Tragedy of Good Intentions by Jonathan Rosen
What's Hot This Month
Get excited for Spring Debut fiction titles.
Featured Title
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
The idyllic 1968 English countryside is the setting for a story of grief, love and murder that centers around Beth, a farmer’s wife who unexpectedly encounters her first love, Gabriel. Jumping back and forth in time, the reader sees how they fell in love and the consequences of Gabriel’s return to the community in the present day. Someone has been murdered, someone close to Beth. But exactly who and why won’t be revealed until the full story has been told. This is a beautifully written love story that reads like a thriller, full of twists and turns that will stay with the reader long after finishing.
What's New This Month
March brings eagerly awaited new books from a number of notable authors like Charlotte McConaghy with
Wild Dark Shore and Laila Lalami with
The Dream Hotel. It also brings buzzy debuts such as
All The Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman, which has already been optioned for the screen. It’s about a mother who investigates when her son is suspected in the disappearance of his bully.
In nonfiction there are some interesting books about the world around us.
Air-borne by Carl Zimmer looks at the air we breathe and the ecosystem it contains.
Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash by Alexander Clapp, looks at a more visible world with its examination of the multi-billion dollar global garbage trade.
For More Reading Suggestions: