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mglarson29's review against another edition
Not bad, just overly descriptive and really long and I’m not in the mood for something this stressful
schofield24's review against another edition
I have not yet finished listening to this audiobook, but find it fascinating.
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I do have one critique of this book in that I found the prose a little on the florid side at times. I especially didn't like it when it relied on conjecture about what a person might have said or done in response to another person's actions. I thought the story was extremely compelling in its own right, and I would have preferred it had the author refrained from these flourishes.
That aside, this is an extraordinary story, and the depiction of how charges of mental illness were used against women who refused to conform, as well as the harsh treatment of both those women and the truly mentally ill, was often stomach-churning, as barbarism should always be. Though things have changed, it is more than a little sad how much has remained the same. McFarland, like so many other white men, not only got away with his gross abuses, but was lauded for his efforts. Hopefully this book will help rectify history. For far too long, far too many men have been lionized despite their gross misconduct and their brutal treatment and oppression of others.
As for Elizabeth Packard, hopefully this book will also set her own history better to rights. It was hard for me to imagine how a woman who suffered so much abuse and oppression could have worked so tirelessly. It's both inspiring and depressing, and I saw in her story similarities to many present-day issues, even before the author pointed out how the word "crazy"--launched at women like Nancy Pelosi and one of Bill Cosby's accusers, amongst others--is so often employed as a weapon by men looking to discredit women. Given the current political situation in the U.S., it's more obvious than ever that women's work is far from done, and that for every bit of progress women fight for, the erosion of our rights will continue to compel us to go on fighting for years to come.
I hope we can all be like Elizabeth Packard, finding a well of strength within ourselves, somehow plucking up the courage and drive to go on even in the face of a world that seems never to have stopped wanting to discredit, silence, and deprive us of our autonomy, our personhood, and our liberty.
I do have one critique of this book in that I found the prose a little on the florid side at times. I especially didn't like it when it relied on conjecture about what a person might have said or done in response to another person's actions. I thought the story was extremely compelling in its own right, and I would have preferred it had the author refrained from these flourishes.
That aside, this is an extraordinary story, and the depiction of how charges of mental illness were used against women who refused to conform, as well as the harsh treatment of both those women and the truly mentally ill, was often stomach-churning, as barbarism should always be. Though things have changed, it is more than a little sad how much has remained the same. McFarland, like so many other white men, not only got away with his gross abuses, but was lauded for his efforts. Hopefully this book will help rectify history. For far too long, far too many men have been lionized despite their gross misconduct and their brutal treatment and oppression of others.
As for Elizabeth Packard, hopefully this book will also set her own history better to rights. It was hard for me to imagine how a woman who suffered so much abuse and oppression could have worked so tirelessly. It's both inspiring and depressing, and I saw in her story similarities to many present-day issues, even before the author pointed out how the word "crazy"--launched at women like Nancy Pelosi and one of Bill Cosby's accusers, amongst others--is so often employed as a weapon by men looking to discredit women. Given the current political situation in the U.S., it's more obvious than ever that women's work is far from done, and that for every bit of progress women fight for, the erosion of our rights will continue to compel us to go on fighting for years to come.
I hope we can all be like Elizabeth Packard, finding a well of strength within ourselves, somehow plucking up the courage and drive to go on even in the face of a world that seems never to have stopped wanting to discredit, silence, and deprive us of our autonomy, our personhood, and our liberty.
redheadreadermom's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.0