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cdel1313's review against another edition
4.0
I would have given it a 3, but given the time and circumstances Nellie Bly faced, I gave it a 4. Interesting.
amyshelve's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
vhenderson93's review against another edition
2.0
LONG READ AHEAD!! 1.5
This book made me mad. Plain and simple. And not just for the horrific treatment of the patients. Nellie Bly set out to uncover the truth and what she endured in her mere ten day as a "patient" aka prisoner, is just the tip of the iceberg compared to what REALLY must have gone on, I mean, imagine what other accounts might have been shared if given the chance. Women (most of them sane, which is another frustrating part I'll cover) could see no light at the end of the nightmarish tunnel. No hope of freedom. They were unjustly condemned for life.
It made me sick to know just how easy it was to be considered mad. In that day and age madness must have been a disease heavily feared. It took Nellie ONE day to be hauled away and condemned. She repeatedly asked about her missing trunk, claimed she had no memory and stayed up an entire night. If that were the case today, asylums would be packed to the brim.
My heart went out to people like Tillie (Tilly?) who were oblivious to the fact that they'd been admitted to an insane asylum until it was too late and begged to be released and did all she could to prove her saneness. Eventually, she did go insane. Stories like hers and countless others break my heart.
Then there were the cruel, evil, wicked, and vile nurses. The ones who took pleasure in torture-physically and emotionally. They did all in their power to make the women miserable. It was this evil treatment and awful living conditions that drove the poor women to insanity. While this made my blood boil, I haven't even covered the part that really did me in.
What REALLY upset me was the ending. All through reading this I was anxiously awaiting some over-due justice. I couldn't wait to see the nurses and incompetent doctors soundly punished for their deeds. But what happened? After the trial, Nellie and some others (I forget just now) went back to the asylum to check her story. FIRST OF ALL- if the place is rumored to be so terrible, why haven't there been surprise visits before?? SECOND OF ALL- as for their "surprise" visit- some sneaking devil warned the asylum beforehand and they managed to hide all the evidence. Oddly enough, all of Nellie's friends were gone but one who did vouch for Nellie's account but also claimed that after she left, conditions had improved immensely. And the worst part?? After all was said and done- an additional 1 million some odd dollars was given to the asylum for better conditions.
EXCUSE ME?? That's it? And Nellie was proud of her "accomplishments". Sure, you exposed the evil but what now? You honestly believe the same nurses who would threaten to beat patients if they told the doctors how they were being treated are actually going to make life easier for them now? The same ones who would eat grapes and fresh bread, while patients starved on spider-filled bread? Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Nothing changed. They may have got caught but the same nurses and doctors were still there and the patients were just as helpless as before. If Nellie truly cared, there was no way she could have been satisfied. This is just my opinion and have no facts to back it up, but this case was just another job to Nellie. After it was done and over, she could go back to her life, eat real food, dress in her own clothes, live a normal life and enjoy her freedom. I don't know what kind of person she was but this is the impression I'm getting.
I don't know whatever happened to that asylum and it's employees but I hope some real justice was eventually given to the poor patients. They suffered more than this mere 75 pages can ever express.
This book made me mad. Plain and simple. And not just for the horrific treatment of the patients. Nellie Bly set out to uncover the truth and what she endured in her mere ten day as a "patient" aka prisoner, is just the tip of the iceberg compared to what REALLY must have gone on, I mean, imagine what other accounts might have been shared if given the chance. Women (most of them sane, which is another frustrating part I'll cover) could see no light at the end of the nightmarish tunnel. No hope of freedom. They were unjustly condemned for life.
It made me sick to know just how easy it was to be considered mad. In that day and age madness must have been a disease heavily feared. It took Nellie ONE day to be hauled away and condemned. She repeatedly asked about her missing trunk, claimed she had no memory and stayed up an entire night. If that were the case today, asylums would be packed to the brim.
My heart went out to people like Tillie (Tilly?) who were oblivious to the fact that they'd been admitted to an insane asylum until it was too late and begged to be released and did all she could to prove her saneness. Eventually, she did go insane. Stories like hers and countless others break my heart.
Then there were the cruel, evil, wicked, and vile nurses. The ones who took pleasure in torture-physically and emotionally. They did all in their power to make the women miserable. It was this evil treatment and awful living conditions that drove the poor women to insanity. While this made my blood boil, I haven't even covered the part that really did me in.
What REALLY upset me was the ending. All through reading this I was anxiously awaiting some over-due justice. I couldn't wait to see the nurses and incompetent doctors soundly punished for their deeds. But what happened? After the trial, Nellie and some others (I forget just now) went back to the asylum to check her story. FIRST OF ALL- if the place is rumored to be so terrible, why haven't there been surprise visits before?? SECOND OF ALL- as for their "surprise" visit- some sneaking devil warned the asylum beforehand and they managed to hide all the evidence. Oddly enough, all of Nellie's friends were gone but one who did vouch for Nellie's account but also claimed that after she left, conditions had improved immensely. And the worst part?? After all was said and done- an additional 1 million some odd dollars was given to the asylum for better conditions.
EXCUSE ME?? That's it? And Nellie was proud of her "accomplishments". Sure, you exposed the evil but what now? You honestly believe the same nurses who would threaten to beat patients if they told the doctors how they were being treated are actually going to make life easier for them now? The same ones who would eat grapes and fresh bread, while patients starved on spider-filled bread? Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Nothing changed. They may have got caught but the same nurses and doctors were still there and the patients were just as helpless as before. If Nellie truly cared, there was no way she could have been satisfied. This is just my opinion and have no facts to back it up, but this case was just another job to Nellie. After it was done and over, she could go back to her life, eat real food, dress in her own clothes, live a normal life and enjoy her freedom. I don't know what kind of person she was but this is the impression I'm getting.
I don't know whatever happened to that asylum and it's employees but I hope some real justice was eventually given to the poor patients. They suffered more than this mere 75 pages can ever express.
carleesue's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
3.75
beckym_reads's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Nellie Bly was a very brave and inspiring woman to enter these different places in the hope of making them better. It was hard to think of this book as being real, as it felt so make-believe that these events actually happened. It's crazy to think the treatment of these people was glazed over, or unknown. This was a very eye-opening read.
jetpackdracula's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content
Minor: Racial slurs