Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Ten Days in a Mad-House

Since the story of Nellie Bly and her expose of the the Blackwell asylum fascinated men after finishing a fiction book on the topic, I decided to pick up Ten Days in a Mad-House, a compilation of Nellie Bly’s newspaper stories on the subject. Her compassion for the women and her anger and frustration at their treatment shone through, as did her satisfaction with the fact that her stories resulted in a budget increase for the asylum and improved conditions there. I’m glad I took the time to hear her story in her words. I can only imagine the impact they made at the time.

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vigil's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

fucking harrowing. i never know how to rate nonfiction, but this book pulled me in. there was a point when there was a mention of how unbearable the days grew as they passed, that i wondered just how long she’d be trapped in that place, and completely forgot it’s in the title. earlier i was so engrossed in the story and horrors nellie witnessed i was thrown off by the mention of it only being her first day.

i didn’t get a chance to read the source material beforehand, and this isn’t my first time in aslyum related media, especially in the victorian era, but something about the combination of nellie bly’s storytelling, and the illustrations made this a stand out read for me.

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zamyatins_fears's review against another edition

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dark informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

There are certainly are more extensive works on the subject, but this is a good read for anyone interested in it for the historic importance. The woman known as Nellie Bly (pen name) was one of the earliest investigative reporters. It's terrifying how easily she was able to get herself committed to an insane asylum. Just as it's heartbreaking to read about just the abuses she witnessed or heard many accounts of. Modern works may be a bit more in-depth on these kinds of abuses, but Bly was instrumental in getting more funds diverted to the care of those suffering on Roosevelt Island and was instrumental in the call for reform. A bit of a slow start, but a quick read once she is declared a "hopeless case" and shipped off to the asylum.

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