"The Woman They Could Not Silence" by Kate Moore - Historical Fiction Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Kate Moore

Kate Moore is a British author known for her works in historical non-fiction. Here is a brief biography of Kate Moore based on information available up to that point:

Background: Kate Moore was born in England and is a writer and editor. She has a background in literature and writing, which is evident in her works that often delve into historical narratives.

Notable Works: One of Kate Moore's notable works is "The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women," published in 2017. The book explores the lives of female factory workers who painted radium-based luminous paint on watch dials and subsequently suffered from the harmful effects of radium exposure. Moore's narrative sheds light on the industrial and legal battles faced by these women in the early 20th century.

Literary Style and Themes: Moore is known for her engaging storytelling and her ability to bring historical events to life. Her works often focus on lesser-known stories and individuals who have faced significant challenges, providing a voice to those whose stories may have been overlooked.

Activism: Kate Moore has been involved in raising awareness about the issues explored in her books. In the case of "The Radium Girls," the book has contributed to increased recognition of the historical injustices faced by the women who worked with radium.

Synopsis

1860: As the clash between the states rolls slowly to a boil, Elizabeth Packard, housewife and mother of six, is facing her own battle. The enemy sits across the table and sleeps in the next room. Her husband of twenty-one years is plotting against her because he feels increasingly threatened--by Elizabeth's intellect, independence, and unwillingness to stifle her own thoughts. So he makes a plan to put his wife back in her place. One summer morning, he has her committed to an insane asylum.

The horrific conditions inside the Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, are overseen by Dr. Andrew McFarland, a man who will prove to be even more dangerous to Elizabeth than her traitorous husband. But most disturbing is that Elizabeth is not the only sane woman confined to the institution. There are many rational women on her ward who tell the same story: they've been committed not because they need medical treatment, but to keep them in line--conveniently labeled "crazy" so their voices are ignored.

No one is willing to fight for their freedom and, disenfranchised both by gender and the stigma of their supposed madness, they cannot possibly fight for themselves. But Elizabeth is about to discover that the merit of losing everything is that you then have nothing to lose...

Historical Timeline

Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois

The Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, also known as the Jacksonville Mental Health and Developmental Center, has a rich history in the field of mental health care. Here is an overview of its history:

Establishment (1851): The Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville was established in 1851. It was one of the earliest mental health institutions in the state and had a mission to provide care for individuals with mental illnesses.
Dorothea Dix's Influence: Dorothea Dix, a prominent mental health reformer, played a role in advocating for the establishment of mental health institutions, including the one in Jacksonville. Her efforts were part of a broader movement to improve the treatment of individuals with mental illnesses.
Kirkbride Plan: The hospital adopted the Kirkbride Plan, a model for the design and organization of mental health institutions developed by psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride. The plan emphasized a humane and therapeutic environment for patients.
Civil War Era: During the Civil War, the hospital faced challenges as it accommodated a large number of mentally ill veterans. The demands of caring for these individuals strained the hospital's resources.
Expansion and Changes: Over the years, the hospital underwent expansions and changes in response to evolving approaches to mental health care. New treatment methods, changes in institutional design, and shifts in societal attitudes towards mental health influenced the hospital's operations.
Community Care Movement: In the latter half of the 20th century, there was a shift in mental health care philosophy towards community-based care. This movement aimed to provide more personalized and community-integrated care for individuals with mental illnesses.
Downsizing and Closure: Like many large psychiatric institutions across the United States, the Jacksonville Mental Health and Developmental Center experienced downsizing and a reduction in the number of inpatient beds. This was part of a broader trend towards deinstitutionalization.
Current Status: The hospital has seen changes in its functions, and some of its historic buildings have been repurposed. The site has been used for various purposes, including mental health services, developmental disability services, and other community health programs.

It's important to note that the field of mental health care has undergone significant transformations over the years, and the Jacksonville Mental Health and Developmental Center reflects these changes in its long history of providing mental health services in Illinois. For the most up-to-date information, it's recommended to check recent sources or the official channels of the facility.

1860

January 9: The first modern funeral hearse is used in London.
January 16: The discovery of the planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris.
February 1: The first Pony Express mail delivery service begins in the United States, with riders carrying messages from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California.
March 20: The First Taranaki War begins in New Zealand between the British and the Māori.
April 3: The Pony Express makes its first run, covering the distance between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California.
April 23: The Netherlands recognizes the independence of Italy.
May 6-10: The Edo period of Japan ends with the Battle of Ueno, marking the beginning of the Meiji era.
May 16: The Republican Party nominates Abraham Lincoln as its candidate for the U.S. presidency.
June 9: The Venetian arsenal catches fire, resulting in a significant loss of historical shipbuilding material.
June 28: The Treaty of Tientsin is signed, officially ending the Second Opium War between China and Western powers.
July 3: The Battle of Santiago de Cuba takes place during the Spanish-Moroccan War.
July 6: The Norwegian steamer, SS Hans Hedtoft, becomes the first ship to be crushed by icebergs near the coast of Greenland.
July 10: The Viceroy of China's attempt to suppress the Taiping Rebellion leads to the Battle of Shanghai.
November 6: Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th President of the United States.
November 17: The French expeditionary force captures Beijing during the Second Opium War.
December 20: South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States, setting the stage for the American Civil War.

These events offer a glimpse into the diverse happenings of 1860, ranging from political and military developments to scientific and cultural advancements.

Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois

The Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, also known as the Jacksonville Mental Health and Developmental Center, has a rich history in the field of mental health care. Here is an overview of its history:

Establishment (1851): The Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville was established in 1851. It was one of the earliest mental health institutions in the state and had a mission to provide care for individuals with mental illnesses.
Dorothea Dix's Influence: Dorothea Dix, a prominent mental health reformer, played a role in advocating for the establishment of mental health institutions, including the one in Jacksonville. Her efforts were part of a broader movement to improve the treatment of individuals with mental illnesses.
Kirkbride Plan: The hospital adopted the Kirkbride Plan, a model for the design and organization of mental health institutions developed by psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride. The plan emphasized a humane and therapeutic environment for patients.
Civil War Era: During the Civil War, the hospital faced challenges as it accommodated a large number of mentally ill veterans. The demands of caring for these individuals strained the hospital's resources.
Expansion and Changes: Over the years, the hospital underwent expansions and changes in response to evolving approaches to mental health care. New treatment methods, changes in institutional design, and shifts in societal attitudes towards mental health influenced the hospital's operations.
Community Care Movement: In the latter half of the 20th century, there was a shift in mental health care philosophy towards community-based care. This movement aimed to provide more personalized and community-integrated care for individuals with mental illnesses.
Downsizing and Closure: Like many large psychiatric institutions across the United States, the Jacksonville Mental Health and Developmental Center experienced downsizing and a reduction in the number of inpatient beds. This was part of a broader trend towards deinstitutionalization.
Current Status: The hospital has seen changes in its functions, and some of its historic buildings have been repurposed. The site has been used for various purposes, including mental health services, developmental disability services, and other community health programs.

1860

January 9: The first modern funeral hearse is used in London.
January 16: The discovery of the planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris.
February 1: The first Pony Express mail delivery service begins in the United States, with riders carrying messages from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California.
March 20: The First Taranaki War begins in New Zealand between the British and the Māori.
April 3: The Pony Express makes its first run, covering the distance between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California.
April 23: The Netherlands recognizes the independence of Italy.
May 6-10: The Edo period of Japan ends with the Battle of Ueno, marking the beginning of the Meiji era.
May 16: The Republican Party nominates Abraham Lincoln as its candidate for the U.S. presidency.
June 9: The Venetian arsenal catches fire, resulting in a significant loss of historical shipbuilding material.
June 28: The Treaty of Tientsin is signed, officially ending the Second Opium War between China and Western powers.
July 3: The Battle of Santiago de Cuba takes place during the Spanish-Moroccan War.
July 6: The Norwegian steamer, SS Hans Hedtoft, becomes the first ship to be crushed by icebergs near the coast of Greenland.
July 10: The Viceroy of China's attempt to suppress the Taiping Rebellion leads to the Battle of Shanghai.
November 6: Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th President of the United States.
November 17: The French expeditionary force captures Beijing during the Second Opium War.
December 20: South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States, setting the stage for the American Civil War.

These events offer a glimpse into the diverse happenings of 1860, ranging from political and military developments to scientific and cultural advancements.

Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois

The Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, also known as the Jacksonville Mental Health and Developmental Center, has a rich history in the field of mental health care. Here is an overview of its history:

Establishment (1851): The Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville was established in 1851. It was one of the earliest mental health institutions in the state and had a mission to provide care for individuals with mental illnesses.
Dorothea Dix's Influence: Dorothea Dix, a prominent mental health reformer, played a role in advocating for the establishment of mental health institutions, including the one in Jacksonville. Her efforts were part of a broader movement to improve the treatment of individuals with mental illnesses.
Kirkbride Plan: The hospital adopted the Kirkbride Plan, a model for the design and organization of mental health institutions developed by psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride. The plan emphasized a humane and therapeutic environment for patients.
Civil War Era: During the Civil War, the hospital faced challenges as it accommodated a large number of mentally ill veterans. The demands of caring for these individuals strained the hospital's resources.
Expansion and Changes: Over the years, the hospital underwent expansions and changes in response to evolving approaches to mental health care. New treatment methods, changes in institutional design, and shifts in societal attitudes towards mental health influenced the hospital's operations.
Community Care Movement: In the latter half of the 20th century, there was a shift in mental health care philosophy towards community-based care. This movement aimed to provide more personalized and community-integrated care for individuals with mental illnesses.
Downsizing and Closure: Like many large psychiatric institutions across the United States, the Jacksonville Mental Health and Developmental Center experienced downsizing and a reduction in the number of inpatient beds. This was part of a broader trend towards deinstitutionalization.
Current Status: The hospital has seen changes in its functions, and some of its historic buildings have been repurposed. The site has been used for various purposes, including mental health services, developmental disability services, and other community health programs.

MLN Materials

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Audiobook Versions

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Ebook Versions

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The Trials of Nina Mccall by Scott W. Stern
Call Number: 306.74 Stern
The nearly forgotten story of the fight against the American Plan, a government program designed to regulate women's bodies and sexuality "A consistently surprising page-turner . . . a brilliant study of the way social anxieties have historically congealed in state control over women's bodies and behavior." - New York Times Book Review Nina McCall was one of many women unfairly imprisoned by the United States government throughout the twentieth century. Tens, probably hundreds, of thousands of women and girls were locked up-usually without due process-simply because officials suspected these women were prostitutes, carrying STIs, or just "promiscuous." This discriminatory program, dubbed the "American Plan," lasted from the 1910s into the 1950s, implicating a number of luminaries, including Eleanor Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller Jr., Earl Warren, and even Eliot Ness, while laying the foundation for the modern system of women's prisons. In some places, vestiges of the Plan lingered into the 1960s and 1970s, and the laws that undergirded it remain on the books to this day. Nina McCall's story provides crucial insight into the lives of countless other women incarcerated under the American Plan. Stern demonstrates the pain and shame felt by these women and details the multitude of mortifications they endured, both during and after their internment. Yet thousands of incarcerated women rioted, fought back against their oppressors, or burned their detention facilities to the ground; they jumped out of windows or leapt from moving trains or scaled barbed-wire fences in order to escape. And, as Nina McCall did, they sued their captors. In an age of renewed activism surrounding harassment, health care, prisons, women's rights, and the power of the state, this virtually lost chapter of our history is vital reading.
Administrations of Lunacy by Mab Segrest
Call Number: 362.21 Segrest
In December 1841, the Georgia State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum was founded. A hundred years later, it had become the largest insane asylum in the world with over ten thousand patients. Administrations of Lunacy tells the story of this iconic and infamous southern institution, a history that was all but erased from popular memory and within the psychiatric profession. Through riveting accounts of historical characters, Segrest reveals how modern psychiatric practice was forged in the traumas of slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow. Deftly connecting this history to the modern era, Segrest then shows how a single asylum helped set the stage for the eugenics theories of the twentieth century and the persistent racial ideologies of our own times. She also traces the connections to today's dissident psychiatric practices that offer sanity and create justice.
The Doctors Blackwell by Janice P. Nimura
Call Number: 610.92 Nimura
"The vivid biography of two pioneering sisters who, together, became America's first female doctors and transformed New York's medical establishment by creating a hospital by and for women. Elizabeth Blackwell believed from an early age that she was destined for greatness beyond the scope of "ordinary" womanhood. Though the world recoiled at the notion of a woman studying medicine, her intelligence and intensity won her the acceptance of the all-male medical establishment and in 1849 she became the first woman in America to receive a medical degree. But Elizabeth's story is incomplete without her often forgotten sister, Emily, the third woman in America to receive a medical degree. Exploring the sisters' allies, enemies and enduring partnership, Nimura presents a story of both trial and triumph: Together the sisters founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, the first hospital staffed entirely by women. Both sisters were tenacious and visionary; they were also judgmental, uncompromising, and occasionally misogynistic--their convictions as 19th-century women often contradicted their ambitions. From Bristol, England, to the new cities of antebellum America, this work of rich history follows the sister doctors as they transform the nineteenth century medical establishment and, in turn, our contemporary one".

*Audiobook available on hoopla
*E-book available on Libby
*Audiobook available on Libby
Women in White Coats by Olivia Campbell
Call Number: 610.922 Campbell
In the early 1800s, women were dying in large numbers from treatable diseases because they avoided receiving medical care. Examinations performed by male doctors were often demeaning and even painful. In addition, women faced stigma from illness--a diagnosis could greatly limit their ability to find husbands, jobs or be received in polite society. Motivated by personal loss and frustration over inadequate medical care, Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Sophia Jex-Blake fought for a woman's place in the male-dominated medical field. For the first time ever, Women in White Coats tells the complete history of these three pioneering women who, despite countless obstacles, earned medical degrees and paved the way for other women to do the same. Though very different in personality and circumstance, together these women built women-run hospitals and teaching colleges--creating for the first time medical care for women by women. With gripping storytelling based on extensive research and access to archival documents, Women in White Coats tells the courageous history these women made by becoming doctors, detailing the boundaries they broke of gender and science to reshape how we receive medical care today.
Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn
Call Number: 613.0424 Cleghorn
A trailblazing, conversation-starting history of women's health--from the earliest medical ideas about women's illnesses to hormones and autoimmune diseases--brought together in a fascinating sweeping narrative. Elinor Cleghorn became an unwell woman ten years ago. She was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease after a long period of being told her symptoms were anything from psychosomatic to a possible pregnancy. As Elinor learned to live with her unpredictable disease she turned to history for answers, and found an enraging legacy of suffering, mystification, and misdiagnosis. In Unwell Women , Elinor Cleghorn traces the almost unbelievable history of how medicine has failed women by treating their bodies as alien and other, often to perilous effect. The result is an authoritative and groundbreaking exploration of the relationship between women and medical practice, from the "wandering womb" of Ancient Greece to the rise of witch trials across Europe, and from the dawn of hysteria as a catchall for difficult-to-diagnose disorders to the first forays into autoimmunity and the shifting understanding of hormones, menstruation, menopause, and conditions like endometriosis. Packed with character studies and case histories of women who have suffered, challenged, and rewritten medical orthodoxy--and the men who controlled their fate--this is a revolutionary examination of the relationship between women, illness, and medicine. With these case histories, Elinor pays homage to the women who suffered so strides could be made, and shows how being unwell has become normalized in society and culture, where women have long been distrusted as reliable narrators of their own bodies and pain. But the time for real change is long overdue: answers reside in the body, in the testimonies of unwell women--and their lives depend on medicine learning to listen.
Say Anarcha by J. C. Hallman
Call Number: 618.1009 Hallman
A compelling reckoning with the birth of women's health that illuminates the sacrifices of a young woman who changed the world only to be forgotten by it--until now For more than a century, Dr. J. Marion Sims was hailed as the "father of modern gynecology." He founded a hospital in New York City and had a profitable career treating gentry and royalty in Europe, becoming one of the world's first celebrity surgeons. Statues were built in his honor, but he wasn't the hero he had made himself appear to be. Sims's greatest medical claim was the result of several years of experimental surgeries--without anesthesia--on a young enslaved woman known as Anarcha; his so-called cure for obstetric fistula forever altered the path of women's health. One medical text after another hailed Anarcha as the embodiment of the pivotal role that Sims played in the history of surgery. Decades later, a groundswell of women objecting to Sims's legacy celebrated Anarcha as the "mother of gynecology." Little was known about the woman herself. The written record would have us believe Anarcha disappeared; she did not. Through tenacious research, J. C. Hallman has unearthed the first evidence of Anarcha's life that did not come from Sims's suspect reports. Hallman reveals that after helping to spark a patient-centered model of care that continues to improve women's lives today, Anarcha lived on as a midwife, nurse, and "doctor woman." Say Anarcha excavates history, deconstructing the biographical smoke screen of a surgeon who has falsely been enshrined as a medical pioneer and bringing forth a heroic Black woman to her rightful place at the center of the creation story of modern women's health care.
Damnation Island by Stacy Horn
Call Number: 974.71 Horn
Conceived as the most modern, humane incarceration facility the world had ever seen, New York's Blackwell's Island, site of a lunatic asylum, two prisons, an almshouse, and a number of hospitals, quickly became, in the words of a visiting Charles Dickens, "a lounging, listless madhouse." Digging through city records, newspaper articles, and archival reports, Stacy Horn tells a gripping narrative through the voices of the island's inhabitants. We also hear from the era's officials, reformers, and journalists, including the celebrated undercover reporter Nellie Bly. And we follow the extraordinary Reverend William Glenney French as he ministers to Blackwell's residents, battles the bureaucratic mazes of the Department of Correction and a corrupt City Hall, testifies at salacious trials, and in his diary wonders about man's inhumanity to his fellow man. Damnation Island shows how far we've come in caring for the least fortunate among us--and reminds us how much work still remains.
The Unfit Heiress by Audrey Clare Farley
Call Number: BIOGRAPHY HEWITT Farley
In 1934, aided by a California eugenics law, the socialite Maryon Cooper Hewitt had her "promiscuous" daughter declared feebleminded and sterilized without her knowledge. She did this to deprive Ann of millions of dollars from her father's estate, which contained a child-bearing stipulation. When a sensational court case ensued, the American public was captivated. So were eugenicists, who saw an opportunity to restrict reproductive rights in America for decades to come. This riveting story unfolds through the brilliant research of Audrey Clare Farley, who captures the interior lives of these women and poses questions that remain relevant today: What does it mean to be "unfit" for motherhood? In the battle for reproductive rights, can we forgive the women who side against us? And can we forgive our mothers if they are the ones who inflict the deepest wounds?
Madame Restell by Jennifer Wright
Call Number: BIOGRAPHY RESTELL
An industrious immigrant who built her business from the ground up, Madame Restell was a self-taught surgeon on the cutting edge of healthcare in pre-Gilded Age New York, and her bustling "boarding house" provided birth control, abortions, and medical assistance to thousands of women--rich and poor alike. As her practice expanded, her notoriety swelled, and Restell established her-self as a prime target for tabloids, threats, and lawsuits galore. But far from fading into the background, she defiantly flaunted her wealth, parading across the city in designer clothes, expensive jewelry, and bejeweled carriages, rubbing her success in the faces of the many politicians, publishers, fellow physicians, and religious figures determined to bring her down. Unfortunately for Madame Restell, her rise to the top of her field coincided with "the greatest scam you've never heard about"--the campaign to curtail women's power by restricting their access to both healthcare and careers of their own. Powerful, secular men--threatened by women's burgeoning independence--were eager to declare abortion sinful, a position endorsed by newly-minted male MDs who longed to edge out their feminine competition and turn medicine into a standardized, male-only practice. By unraveling the misogynistic and misleading lies that put women's lives in jeopardy, Wright simultaneously restores Restell to her rightful place in history and obliterates the faulty reasoning underlying the very foundation of what has since been dubbed the "pro-life" movement. Thought-provoking, character-driven, boldly written, and feminist as hell, Madame Restell is required reading for anyone and everyone who believes that when it comes to women's rights, women's bodies, and women's history, women should have the last word.