pagesandpixels's review against another edition
4.0
An important read to understand the accounts and history of institutions and how women were disproportionately mistreated. This book provides insight into dark disability history.
chantalsbookstuff's review against another edition
3.0
This book was mentioned in Matt Haig's The Comfort Book. It follows reporter Nellie Bly as she embarked on an undercover operation by going into Blacwells Island asylum. This is her retelling of her horrific experience and of how badly the patients are treated.
dominicangirl's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Confinement
sarahcoller's review against another edition
2.0
I actually finished this a couple weeks ago, but haven't taken the time for awhile to leave journal entries on my reading. This little book sparked a weeks long reading and research venture on the life of Nellie Bly. Ha! It's not super well-written--- more a culmination of her notes with a little narration thrown in here and there. I found it difficult to follow chronologically but did feel I got the basic gist once I was done. Very awesome that her undercover work caused changes to be made within the facility and probably others too.
After finishing this I couldn't get rid of a nagging feeling that I had another book on her. After a little digging, I found that I did have another---Eighty Days by Matthew Goodman is the story of her race around the world to attempt to beat Phileas Fogg's time. I read that and learned a ton more about Nellie Bly.
After finishing this I couldn't get rid of a nagging feeling that I had another book on her. After a little digging, I found that I did have another---Eighty Days by Matthew Goodman is the story of her race around the world to attempt to beat Phileas Fogg's time. I read that and learned a ton more about Nellie Bly.
alexao's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
3.5
teneke's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
readhikerepeat's review against another edition
4.0
One of the famous (or infamous) muckrakers writes about how she tricked doctors into committing a sane woman to an insane asylum in order to write about how “patients” were treated. Written in 1887, the book is highly relevant and, sadly, many of the same problems of abuse and indifference remain. It’s a short book – less than 100 pages – and worth every minute.
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