*

The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore tells the story of Elizabeth Packard, a woman declared insane and sent to an asylum because she disagreed with her husband. The twists and turns of her life and the unbelievable obstacles to success would be thought too much, too over the top if this was fiction — but of course, it’s very real. Despite the length, I found this book to be compulsively readable, though I did have to take breaks to vent my frustration (see slide 3). Moore lends a narrative style to this nonfiction by drawing on a seriously impressive plethora of research and documents: she tells readers in the author’s note that ALL the dialogue comes from memoirs, letters, trial transcripts, or other historical documents. Packard was dismissed time and again because of her gender, but her brilliance was undeniable. Her trials were a crucible that transformed her into an activist and politician, someone who worked tirelessly to advocate for the rights of women and the mentally ill. I found myself frustrated that Moore chose not to discuss the way in which institutionalization and abuse disproportionately affect Black women (something Moore acknowledges in the Q&A at the end) especially given that the Civil War and fight for abolition are a backdrop to the events of the book. That said, I appreciated learning more about the way in which mental illness was weaponized as a method of female oppression, and found this to be a great introductory text. In a fun little coinkidink, both this book and my previous read, a historical romance titled Forever Your Rogue, dealt heavily with the law of coverture: a legal principle in which women have no legal identity except through that of their father or husband. HISTORY! Be mindful of content warnings when picking up this book. Image descriptions in the comments! via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CvH0AnqAF0N/