Print Resources

A Deeper Dive into Family Dynamics

Take a look at this article from Psychology Today which breaks down the five types of dysfunctional families.

Books in the CHS Library for further exploration:

The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets by Sarah Elizabeth Miller

"When they were born on May 28, 1934, quintuplets Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Émilie, and Marie captivated the world, defying medical history with every breath they took. In an effort to protect them from hucksters and showmen, the Ontario government took custody of the quints, sequestering them in a private, custom-built hospital across the road from their family. Here, Sarah Miller reconstructs their unprecedented upbringing with depth and subtlety, illustrating not only their resilience, but also the unique bond of their sisterhood"--Provided by the publisher. 

Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker

"Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. After World War II, Don's work with the Air Force brought them to Colorado, where their twelve children perfectly spanned the baby boom: the oldest born in 1945, the youngest in 1965. In those years, there was an established script for a family like the Galvins--aspiration, hard work, upward mobility, domestic harmony--and they worked hard to play their parts. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. By the mid-1970s, six of the ten Galvin boys, one after the other, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. How could all this happen to one family? Their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalization, lobotomy, and the schizophrenogenic mother, to the search for genetic markers for the disease, always amidst profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself...With clarity and compassion, bestselling and award-winning author Robert Kolker uncovers one family's unforgettable legacy of suffering, love and hope"--Provided by publisher.

Far from the Tree by Andrew Solomon

The old adage says that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, meaning that children usually resemble their parents. But what happens when the apples fall somewhere else?