So I loved the book it made me sad but it also gave me hope in that people like Nellie are still around today and are as caring as she was, please read the book it really is worth it. Would I still recommend it? Sure! It’s an informative, easy-read story, and a strong lady definitely worth learning about. But it isn’t just her prose and imagery that makes you feel all of this, it is the deep connection she forges between the reader and Nelly that makes this story so deeply moving. Nelly is a fascinating and compelling character. As a young girl she gives us glimpses of the trailblazer she will become and little Nelly - or Pinks as she is then known - is a fierce and outspoken tomboy who doesn’t fit in and wants much more than to just be somebody’s wife. It helps us understand her actions as an adult such as why she is so determined to be independent and has her sights set on succeeding in what was then considered a man’s profession. Ms. Trager really gets inside Nelly’s mind, body and soul, allowing the reader to walk in her shoes and making our emotions mirror hers. But when the asylum door swings shut behind her, she finds herself in a place of horrors, governed by a harshness and cruelty she could never have imagined. Cold, isolated and starving, her days of terror reawaken the traumatic events of her childhood. She entered the asylum of her own free will—but will she ever get out?

The beginning of the book felt slow and not as engaging as I would have liked. In fact, at times I felt like the sentences and facts were more like a middle-grade biography. And though I do enjoy books in that age group, it’s not what I expected.

The real danger sets in when Nellie faces the harsh facts that she isn’t entirely sure when she is to be rescued by her new employers, nor how long she has to endure the cruelty, deplorable living conditions or the terrors of being trapped forever as she sees that the very people charged with the care of those who are most vulnerable are far from empathetic or caring, verging on sadistic and evil… Nellie shivered and gritted her teeth. She was going to sleep with madwomen, eat with them, be considered one of them. Anything could happen, anything at all."

But when the asylum door swings shut behind her, she finds herself in a place of horrors, governed by a cruelty she could never have imagined. Cold, isolated and starving, her days of terror reawaken the traumatic events of her childhood. She entered the asylum of her own free will - but will she ever get out? In 1887 young Nellie Bly sets out for life anew to make a name for herself by becoming a journalist, determined to leave her old life behind and create a future she can be proud of and New York is where it will happen. No matter at what cost. She writes a piece on working women and the conditions and treatment they face and well, the masculine world of journalism wakes up but becomes wary of her. I loved the way this strengthened her and pushed her even further. She starts writing more hard hitting pieces about things that really matter and rankles a few feathers along the way. Go on Nelly I was shouting at this point. We need people like this as role models in schools and everywhere.

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Her romantic feelings toward the doctor led to rumours when they met after her release, but little is known as fact. I thought the chapters detailing her early life could have been condensed, and her memories of early happier times that sustained her while in confinement were an unnecessary recap. She was now driven to maintain her career as the first female investigative reporter, and her work opened up the newspapers to hire capable women for important roles in journalism. Her bravery and determination became an inspiration for others. Madwoman‘ is based on the true story of Nellie Bly, the world’s first female investigative journalist and is one of my favourite books so far this year. I fairly leapt at the chance to read Louise Treger’s fictionalised narrative of Elizabeth Cochran who wrote under the pseudonym of Nellie Bly, having always been fascinated by her remarkable story. A good read for anyone interested in the history of asylums and treatment of mentally ill. Tells a very accurate and detailed account of Nellie Bly, one of the first female investigative journalists active in the late 19th century.

The storytelling of Nellie’s courage and willpower to succeed in what she believes in are realistically presented and keeping a reader on edge with her bravery. their intelligence – this makes a huge difference for a speaker. In the Oxford audience I encountered many experts in the field my book covered and even one of the ambassadors I’d quoted She learned that not all women in this place were mentally ill but were imprisoned there because their husbands or male relatives wanted to be rid of them or they had broken some restrictions of society. Women who were sane on entering were in danger of lapsing into insanity due to their hopeless future. Those who suffered from a mental illness were misdiagnosed and/or offered no helpful treatment. Nellie made friends with two women who were sane like herself but watched in horror as their psychological and physical conditions deteriorated. She was assigned to a sympathetic doctor who felt his treatment benefited her. Nellie tried to interfere with some of the beatings and other torture methods employed by the 'caretakers,' and for speaking out, was savagely punished. Nellie feared that the newspaper would forget to release her, and the grim conditions she experienced were driving her mad. By this time in the novel I was championing Nelly so strongly, I almost had a placard in my hands and felt like standing on a box in the middle of Roosevelt island to tell the world what she was doing and why. The setting of the asylum will haunt me for some time to come and it was so vivid and fascinating that I had chills down my spine as she uncovered layers of wrongdoing, claustrophobia, ill treatment and so much worse. Because of the very nature of dreams held by a woman – absurd, non-linear, fantastical – women use them as a springboard to explore ideas free from the constraints of society’s patriarchal conventions and logic. The work of women is considered less serious than that of white men. It often goes undocumented, disappears into private collections, is lost or destroyed.Growing up in a home with two older brothers who are granted more freedom than her, Bly is restless for a life beyond what a girl is “supposed” to do. Her parents, too, reinforce these [binaried] societal narratives and conventions: Women are expected to be quiet, submissive, diplomatic, let things go, not get angry and conditioned to be subservient. However, Bly’s father gives her a glimmer of hope beyond this when he gives her a book and pen that shows that when you give a child a pencil, you give her an entire world. Mad Woman tells the true story of a 19th century female investigative journalist, Nellie Bly – the first of her kind – who exemplifies bravery, skill and innovation that is required to become a journalist and what we would call a feminist today. It’s hard enough to be a writer, but during Bly’s time it was infinitely more difficult as a woman. Feminist in the making Bumping up to 3.5⭐️ Since my college journalism days I’ve been fascinated by the role of women in investigative journalism, including Ida Tarbell and Nellie Bly. Madwoman captures a unique piece of history when Nellie Bly, born Elizabeth Cochran, spent 10 days posing as a madwoman to uncover the atrocities in a New York City asylum. I came away buzzing and reassured that we still have in this century a wide ranging community fascinated not just by famous authors (I’ve rarely seen so many concentrated in one place) but by challenging ideas and questions. The writing wasn’t as crisp for me and at times seemed more like a non-fiction straight forward piece of reporting than historical fiction. But Nellie’s work had a lasting impact on society and on women across the country who refused to be anything other than themselves.