Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly

28 reviews

silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition

adventurous informative sad medium-paced

4.5

 I was interested to read a first hand historical account of how badly mental health issues were handled during this era, because I've seen a lot of mud flung online and in historical fiction, and wanted to see if it was all based in fact. (Spoiler, yes the conditions were as bad as you think and maybe worse. It's less clear on whether relatives intentionally landed the inmates in these conditions as a matter of course, or if it was usually through ignorance.)

 I was very pleasantly surprised by how engaging Nellie Bly's writing style was, and have added her novels to my TBR because I pretty much want to read everything she's written now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Child death

calhudak's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

avisreadsandreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment

Minor: Death

lycheeteareads's review against another edition

dark informative sad fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Violence

Minor: Ableism, Death, and Medical content

besotted's review against another edition

informative reflective tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Confinement, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

scottnap's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

itsreirei's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.5

100+ years passed and nurses are still mean girls

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Mental illness, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death and Suicidal thoughts

anhedonia_n_anomie's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

In 1887, 23 y.o. investigative journalist Bly easily gets herself committed to NYC's Women's Lunatic Asylum to report on conditions which are shockingly neglectful & cruel w/most patients not even ill

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Misogyny and Sexual harassment

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.0

 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization

vigil's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Classism