Robert Kolker opens with the extraordinary story of the Galvin family — twelve children, six of whom developed schizophrenia — providing unprecedented insight into how severe mental illness affected this family across decades.

Why this specific family's story provides such significant insight:

• The scale of this family's experience — six of twelve siblings affected by the same serious mental illness — provided researchers an unusually rich opportunity for studying schizophrenia's genetic and environmental factors
• Kolker's extensive research and family access provides unusually detailed insight into the lived experience of a family navigating this level of mental illness impact
• This opening establishes the book's dual narrative approach: detailed human family story alongside broader scientific research significance

This opening establishes the book's remarkable central case study, providing the foundation for both its human narrative and its broader scientific research significance.