Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Woman They Could Not Silence: Elizabeth Packard's incredible fight for freedom, and the men who tried to make her disappear by Kate Moore

21 reviews

katieluvs2read's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Suicide, Violence, and Toxic relationship

sofiasss's review against another edition

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

An inspirational feminist biography. 

I liked how the biography read as a novel. The writing was very gripping and took me on an emotional journey with Elizabeth. You really begin to understand the historical context and consider the different social perspectives. One of my favourite things about this book was how Kate Moore used historical sources for speech and seamlessly integrated her research.  

I think this book was a great commentary on the fundamental views on women based on the neurological differences between males and females and how this affects power. As a young women, it gave insight into the changes that have happened and the similarities that remain. It also provides insight into the importance of patients’ rights and how we as a society view people struggling with mental health, as well as the importance of evidence-based medicine. 

Kate Moore highlights how ‘a person’s powerlessness may lead to struggles with their mental health’. I find it fascinating how Elizabeth uses her faith to empower her, whilst others use it to suppress her. Her relationship with her faith was something that she used to push her past adversity. 

I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, and Mental illness

Minor: Blood, Suicide, Excrement, Sexism, War, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Elizabeth is a BAMF 
And we hate men

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Excrement, and Forced institutionalization

krysley's review against another edition

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Violence, Bullying, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Confinement, and Torture

brigitte's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring relaxing fast-paced

5.0

Determined to stop casually using the words “crazy” and “insane” bc they were too long used as medium for subjugation of minorities.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

mscalls's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Bullying, Gore, Suicide, Torture, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit

bethsbooketlist's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

🌟🌟🌟🌟 🌟 This was my first Kate Moore book and I was so impressed! I am getting into my memoirs more in 2022 but I generally struggle with non fiction writing and it's heaviness. But Moore made the writing so light for a heavy subject. Smooth and gripping - I couldn't put it down. This is before I even come to the subject matter - what an amazing woman Elizabeth Packard was! Kate Moore brings these incredible figures to centre stage like she did in Radium Girls (another I want to read) and enlightens us with their power. I was in awe and inspired by her determination, tenacity and resilience to everything thrown at her. The patriarchal society of the time crippled the strength of women - submission was all that mattered. And the lengths her husband and doctor went to in order to silence her was unreal. I am so glad I read her story, and really want to get my hands on The Radium Girls 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Eating disorder and Suicide

reading_ladies_blog's review against another edition

informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Violence, and Domestic abuse

lpdx's review against another edition

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Blood, Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Torture

aiyam's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Elizabeth Packard is one of my favorite feminists so I was extremely excited to find this book. Kate Moore absolutely did her story justice.

The book goes in-depth from the beginning of her first confinement to the end of her life, with all of her accomplishments as a free woman. I found the outsider's point of view interesting. Knowing what the doctor was writing in his files, what her friends were advocating for, and what her husband was doing back home was fascinating, especially as Packard herself didn't know any of it. That decision from the author really highlighted for me just how isolated and in the dark Packard was kept. 

Packard's story is one of injustice and anger, and I felt every emotion with her while reading this. If you call yourself a mental health advocate or a feminist then this story is an absolute must-read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Vomit, Violence, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Confinement

Moderate: Abandonment