Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly

[Kylie]

I recently read a fascinating article about an expose that Nellie Bly wrote in 1887 after she pretended to be insane and got herself committed to a 'mad-house' for 10 days so she could expose the atrocious conditions that women were subjected to. If you're at all interested in mental health and how mentally ill people were treated in earlier days, I highly recommend reading it. The article I linked to above has excerpts of the expose along with insights by another person. The original article is in the public domain and can be read in its entirety here.

 

The article she wrote (Ten Days in a Mad-House) is part of a book of her other writings called Around the World in Seventy-Two Days and Other Writings (which is on my wishlist). The title of the book refers to the time that Bly travelled around the world in 72 to beat Jules Verne's fictional character's time of 80 days. She sounds like a pretty awesome woman!

[chesilbeach]

I've come across her before … I think she came up in an episode of QI, and Stephen Fry talking about how determined she was as a journalist.  I'd be quite interested to read Around The World in Seventy-Two Days and Other Writings, as she does seem to have had an adventurous and unique life.

[vodkafan]

I have heard of this before too. She seems to have been a fearless woman. 

[Lumo]

I have listened to both Ten Days in a Mad-House and Around the World in Seventy-Two Days on librivox/podiobooks. Both were very interesting and I am glad I read/istened to them.

[beef]

10 days has been on my 'to read' list forever. I will have to add 72 days, I was not aware of that one.