Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly

Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly, narrated by Rebecca Gibel | January 2017; originally published 1887 | Dreamscape Media | Audiobook $13

In 1887 Nellie Bly had herself committed to the notorious Blackwell’s Island insane asylum in New York City with the goal of discovering what life was like for its patients. While there, Bly experienced firsthand the shocking abuse and neglect of its inmates, from inedible food to horrifyingly unsanitary conditions. Ten Days in a Mad-House is Bly’s exposé of the asylum. Written for Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World, Bly’s account chronicles her 10 days at Blackwell’s Island and, upon its publication, drew public attention to the abuse of the institutionalized and led to a grand jury investigation of the facility. This series of articles established Bly as a pioneering female journalist and remains a classic of investigative reporting.

I chose to read (well, listen to) this book because I had heard of Nellie Bly, but had never actually read any of her work. I’m glad I finally rectified that situation.

I knew going into this that it wasn’t exactly going to be a “fun” book — see the blurb quoted above — but I was still unprepared for how terribly unpleasant this story is.

First, it was surprising just how easy it was for the author to get involuntarily committed to an institution. She acted strangely and did not have family or friends show up to advocate for her wellbeing, that was all; she never threatened to harm herself or anyone else. A call to the police, an uninterested judge, and a token exam by an equally uninterested doctor was all it took.

The next shock was just how terrible the treatment of inmates at the institution really was. Of course, I know that mental illness was not really well understood back then and even basic medical care could seem barbaric by today’s standards, so I thought I was prepared to hear about a sad state of affairs. But what I imagined was a kind of benign neglect or ineffective medications; the actual story is much worse. Actively cruel nurses, spoiled and vermin-infested food, unsanitary shared baths, inadequate heat and inadequate clothing, and a complete lack of any attempts at therapeutic or at least palliative care. This was an inhumane prison, not a place for sick people.

Finally, it was horrible to realize that if her newspaper had not sent a representative to retrieve her, Nellie Bly would have been trapped in this place indefinitely. There was no way out. Even after she dropped the act and began acting sane again, the (at best) indifferent to (at worst) abusive doctors and nurses did not consider her improved or worthy of different treatment; she had been declared insane, and that was the end of that.

This is a horror story, made all the worse because it was real.

The only small quibble I have with this book is that it was a little too short and pithy. That is a consequence of having been originally published as a series of slightly sensationalist news articles, part of an activist effort to draw attention to the plight of the most mistreated members of society. I only wish that the author had been able to expand and perhaps re-edit the narrative when it was published in book form.

Links:

• Nellie Bly Resource Guide from the Library of Congress
• ThoughtCo’s biography of Nellie Bly
• National Women’s History Museum biography of Nellie Bly
• “Get To Know Nellie Bly, Girl Reporter” article at Book Riot, incl. book recommendations

Publication information: Bly, Nellie. Ten days in a mad-house. Toledo, OH: Dreamscape Media, 2017. Audiobook.
Source: Public library, via Hoopla.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.