Nonfiction: The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore

The actual title of Kate Moore's second book is a long one: The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear. I added it to my list, with Moore's first book, The Radium Girls, still fairly fresh in my mind. Her research, combined with skillful story-telling, brings the true stories of remarkable women to life, while highlighting their struggles for justice.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book that follows the story of Elizabeth Packard, who was committed by her husband to the Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois in 1860. As the Civil War would tear the country apart, Elizabeth would fight her own war inside the walls of the asylum, her primary foe being the hospital's superintendent, Dr. Andrew McFarland. Of course, there was also Elizabeth's husband, Theophilus Packard, who had his wife committed because she was no longer willing to obey him. In Elizabeth's time, husbands had complete authority over their wives, and husbands were often placing their wives in asylums, as the law allowed. In the prologue, Moore makes it clear that the book is not about mental health, but rather how it is often used as a weapon, and that was certainly the case for Elizabeth. But even with the odds stacked against her, she refused to give up on securing her own freedom, as well as for women like her, and for those she met while in the hospital. 

My Verdict: Much like with Moore's The Radium Girls, I was not disappointed. Instead, I was both fascinated, and of course horrified, by what I read on these pages. It is the kind of book that will make the reader angry, though perhaps not terribly surprised, by what Elizabeth and her friends inside of the asylum went through. Using old letters, books, interviews, articles, as well as photographs and drawings, Moore presents Elizabeth's remarkable story, highlighting a determined activist that is often forgotten and pushed aside in history. Covering nearly ten years of history, and clocking in at over 400 pages, Moore's account is nothing if not thorough, and may certainly spark an interest in uncovering other heroes in history whose story many have attempted to have the public forget.

Favorite Moment: When Elizabeth plays the long game against her husband, successfully tricking him so a crucial event will take place.

Recommended Reading: The Radium Girls is just as fascinating...maybe more so. I also recommend Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford.