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A review by jialatlibrary
The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded: Poems by Molly McCully Brown
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
major TW for institutionalisation, ableism, sickness, abuse. proceed at your own risk, though with caution 🗑️
i first read Molly’s work in Places I’ve taken my Body. Molly’s brilliance, clarity, and exacting language spans across many works, unrelenting.
Virginia is about the notorious now demolished asylum under terrible eugenics there.
Brown’s writing is a spear raised in the crowd of the many of us who have suffered at the hands of the state. it is not illuminating, it is glaring and radiating. They speak strongly about imagined years in the ex state asylum. truly horrific.
but that’s nothing new. as a ward who has been institutionalised repeatedly for years, and then been harshly abused, taken taken advantage of, I feel so seen so seen, so heard, and so validated.
the disabled and mentally ill are strongly confronted against in the systems in my country. the systems are truly merciless. but this, writing like this, is the kind of representation that truly makes a difference. writing like this brings hope. Thank you, Molly.
(borrowed from the library, returning so others can be dazzled🤩)
i first read Molly’s work in Places I’ve taken my Body. Molly’s brilliance, clarity, and exacting language spans across many works, unrelenting.
Virginia is about the notorious now demolished asylum under terrible eugenics there.
Brown’s writing is a spear raised in the crowd of the many of us who have suffered at the hands of the state. it is not illuminating, it is glaring and radiating. They speak strongly about imagined years in the ex state asylum. truly horrific.
but that’s nothing new. as a ward who has been institutionalised repeatedly for years, and then been harshly abused, taken taken advantage of, I feel so seen so seen, so heard, and so validated.
the disabled and mentally ill are strongly confronted against in the systems in my country. the systems are truly merciless. but this, writing like this, is the kind of representation that truly makes a difference. writing like this brings hope. Thank you, Molly.
(borrowed from the library, returning so others can be dazzled🤩)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and Classism