A review by byashleylamar
The Woman They Could Not Silence: The Timeless Story of an Outspoken Woman and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore
5.0
Why does history always seem to erase the contributions of women such as Elizabeth Packard?
I'm so glad I discovered this book by Kate Moore. I first read Radium Girls and was (rightfully) infuriated by everything those women needlessly suffered. To follow that one with The Woman They Could Not Silence has me going down a lot of rabbit holes digging into the stories of the women history forgot. I'm grateful to the author for not shying away from these stories and for doing what she can to bring more attention to them. Where were these stories in our history classes??!
This is a fantastic book that stirred up so much feminist rage in me. Here are a few passages I highlighted while reading...
He'd long been in the habit of trying to control her. "When I was a young lady, I didn't mind it so much," Elizabeth confided, "for then I supposed my husband...knew more than I did, and his will was a better guide for me than my own."
He spoke for her, thought for her, and could do what he wanted with her. The law gave him power to "deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement."
After all, in public, a woman might "preserve the appearance of sanity, and seem so reserved, mild, and well-disposed as completely to deceive the most skillful observers." But if a husband said she was mad behind closed doors then, quite simply, she must be.
Overall, the book infuriated me in the all right ways and opened my eyes even wider to the sad history of the treatment of those with mental health. I cannot wait for more books by this author. I'm so glad she's not afraid to shine a light on these dark areas of history.
I'm so glad I discovered this book by Kate Moore. I first read Radium Girls and was (rightfully) infuriated by everything those women needlessly suffered. To follow that one with The Woman They Could Not Silence has me going down a lot of rabbit holes digging into the stories of the women history forgot. I'm grateful to the author for not shying away from these stories and for doing what she can to bring more attention to them. Where were these stories in our history classes??!
This is a fantastic book that stirred up so much feminist rage in me. Here are a few passages I highlighted while reading...
He'd long been in the habit of trying to control her. "When I was a young lady, I didn't mind it so much," Elizabeth confided, "for then I supposed my husband...knew more than I did, and his will was a better guide for me than my own."
He spoke for her, thought for her, and could do what he wanted with her. The law gave him power to "deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement."
After all, in public, a woman might "preserve the appearance of sanity, and seem so reserved, mild, and well-disposed as completely to deceive the most skillful observers." But if a husband said she was mad behind closed doors then, quite simply, she must be.
Overall, the book infuriated me in the all right ways and opened my eyes even wider to the sad history of the treatment of those with mental health. I cannot wait for more books by this author. I'm so glad she's not afraid to shine a light on these dark areas of history.