Ten Days in a Mad-House Paperback – April 12, 2012

Why the 1/2-star rating for this timeless and influential classic by one of 19th-c. America's most important journalists?5 stars for this classic text -- which I've loved since I first read it in the 9th grade, as one of the texts required by my American History teacher. (Now a history teacher myself, I often share it with my students, who uniformly love it.)1/2 star for the fact that this edition of the book is a 'legal bootleg'. That is, an unnamed, mystery 'editor' has taken a book that has slipped into the public domain because the author died before 1927 (Bly died in 1922 and thus just missed the 1927 copyright cut-off); re-packaged it as an 'edited' and 'revised' edition (why isn't the editor named? why aren't the 'revisions and updates' annotated within the text, per the standard for edited histories?); and re-published it under the 'Create Space' imprimatur to enrich himself/herself without sharing a dime with Bly's estate or original publisher. (Ian L. Munro's publishing house produced the book in 1887.)This is so uncool to me as a historian, history teacher, and Nellie Bly super-fan that I have no problem undercutting the profits of the aforementioned 'legal bootlegger' by sharing the following information with anyone who is interested:(1) You can save your dough and read an estate-sanctioned, totally free, e-Book version of Bly's _Ten Days in a Madhouse_ at the University of Pennsylvania's Digital Library website. Cut and paste the last 14 words of the previous sentence into your favorite search engine (I use the one that rhymes with Droogle or the one that rhymes with Tuck Tuck Moe) and the website will show up as one of the top search results.(2) Alternatively, if you'd like to listen to an estate-sanctioned, audio book version of Bly's work, then swap out the reference to the University of Pennsylvania's Digital Library and add the words "Internet Archive." The non-profit Internet Archive's really cool audio book version will pop up as one of your top search results. (Still more awesome, the Internet Archive offers the option of either listening online or downloading in any one of several different formats so you can listen via your device while on the go.)As the quintessential Progressive Era "Muckraker" -- which you'll recall from high school was the late-19th- and early-20th-c. term for the cadre of reform-minded investigative journalists that Bly exemplified -- Bly's track record indicates that if she were looking down from Journalist Heaven, she wouldn't object if you passed up a 'legal bootleg' of her work and instead checked out one of the aforementioned, free, estate-sanctioned, non-profit-archive-hosted versions. Indeed, I daresay that the brave, talented, fair-minded Bly would stand up and cheer.Just my $00.02; YMMV.

There are a number of publishers offering this book and, of the few I have seen, I found this publication to be more enjoyable.In any of the publications, readers will find the main story of how journalist Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (pen name Nellie Bly) posed as an insane person in order to gain entry into Bellevue hospital on Blackwell's Island. This is a revealing look not only into how people were institutionalized 130 years ago, but also the lack of knowledge of medical doctors at that time. The book also includes two short articles on employment agencies and women working in paper box factories.I found this publication more enjoyable for a number of reasons. There are hand drawn illustrations throughout the book depicting Ms. Seaman at various stages of her investigations. The back of the book features pictures of Ms. Seaman and a list of words that might not be well-known to modern readers. The Annotations section in the back offers an overview of Blackwell's Island Lunatic Asylum as well as notes on Ms. Seaman's participation. Her other books are also listed.Excellent book for those interested in history or just curious about this slice of life in New York over a century ago. Four stars.

Nope, nope, nope, nope. Not a shot could I do what she did. She had quite a lot of faith in her editors to get her out of the asylum, too. I didn’t comprehend the risk involved in the adventure that she undertook until I reached the part where Nellie was locked in her room. All the rooms were locked individually in those days, and it was assumed by all that, in case of fire, the nurses and attendants wouldn’t bother to unlock all those doors individually. They would leave the inmates to roast to death. What a horror those poor people lived once they reached that island! And what a brave woman Nellie was to enter into their suffering in order to effect a change.

Nellie Bly was the pen name of Elizabeth Jane Cochrane who was an American journalist. She was born in May of 1864 and died in January 1922. While she was working for a newspaper in New York City she was given an undercover assignment to feign insanity and allow herself to be committed to the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island in order to write an expose of the inhumane way the women in the Asylum were being treated by caretakers, nurses and even doctors. This book is the true account of what she observed while in that Asylum.She is amazed at how readily people in the medical profession proclaim her insane and how quickly they decide she needs to be committed to an Asylum. Once an inmate in the "Lunatic Asylum" she is dismayed when she sees the patients being taunted, laughed at, and even struck by nurses. The patients were also given inadequate clothing to keep them warm in a hospital that has no heat because the heat is turned on only for certain months of the year. She observes the cold, disgusting and inedible food that is served to the patients while the nurses are being served hot meals and being given fresh fruit.This book, which she wrote from notes she took while in the Asylum, singlehandedly brought about serious reform in this country in the way people are diagnosed as mentally incompetent and also in the way they are treated if they have to be committed. I can't say I "enjoyed" this book but it was very enlightening.

Although the story of Nellie Bly going undercover in an asylum is truth, it reads as fiction. The horrific treatment of patients is the stuff out of a nightmare: making all the women use the same towel, rotten food, staff choking patients for being noisy etc. The list of atrocious behaviour by those in a position of care is endless.It was also shocking to read how quickly sane women were deemed insane for quite different illnesses.Taking a look inside an asylum in 1887 is eye opening. Nellie was incredibly brave to put herself through that ordeal for ten days. It makes you think about the poor souls left behind in similar institutes.

I think for a woman to go under cover like this in her lifetime is truly commendable. To hear of the cruelty that she herself and those around her sustained is truly horrifying. I feel that her actions benefited society greatly then and still so today.I found out about Nellie Bly in psychology by watching an experiment called "being sane in insane places" and you can see it. You can see how being sane can lead to insanity in these asylums. There were people there who were only admitted because they were foreign and couldn't understand what the people were saying, there was no translator provided. It's sick. It's disgusting. I'm glad that people have done something about it.A brilliant book an I highly recommend that you read it.

What a brave American teenager in Victorian times to endure the rigours of a cruel insane asylum typical of the day. She survived it only because she knew there was light at the end of the tunnel with someone procuring her release. It is amazing how easily and quickly she was deemed insane simply by pretending to be a poor girl who had lost her memory, was frightened of other people and kept asking for her luggage. No writhing nor wailing nor talking in strange tongues. I must however look up what the adjectives "span" and "spaner" mean in US of the time. Obviously related, one meaning more "span" than the other and the words are used frequently. I think they mean lean and leaner or small and smaller. Not making much headway but I will keep looking. Anyhoo, great book, easily read and although no surprises of asylums of the era, a shocker just the same. Hooray for Nellie Bly.

This book isx a real disappointment. I thought I would be getting a normal sized paperback book not a book with so few pages. I feel these small think booklets should be made clear they are just booklets not a real paperback, such a con. This book is the size of a holiday . I am disgusted that these booklets are classed as a paperback when they are clearley not.

So sad that it took the courage of Nellie alone to incarcerate herself in this island of evil just to be able to report back on the grave ill treatment of the residents. She was however successful in doing this and without doubt saved the lives of many women.