Ten Days in a Mad-House

By: Nellie Bly

Narrated by: Laural Merlington

Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1887, Nellie Bly had herself committed to the notorious Blackwell's Island insane asylum in New York City with the goal of discovering what life was like for its patients. While there, she experienced firsthand the shocking abuse and neglect of its inmates, from inedible food to horrifyingly unsanitary conditions. Ten Days in a Mad-House is Bly's expose of the asylum.

Written for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, Bly's account chronicles her 10 days at Blackwell's Island and, upon its publication, drew public attention to the abuse of the institutionalized and led to a grand jury investigation of the facility. Ten Days in a Mad-House established Bly as a pioneering female journalist and remains a classic of investigative reporting. This edition also includes two of Bly's shorter articles: "Trying to Be a Servant" and "Nellie Bly as a White Slave".

Public Domain (P)2011 Tantor

Treatment never changes

Excellent, yet pitiful story. Written from so many years back, the tragedy of ourMental health system has NOT CHANGED!!! Deplorable conditions, no help to patients whatsoever. Totally unethical treatment of patients.Reader sounds way too upbeat for this topic.

And absolute must hear!!

An absolute must hear for all those interested in history, women who are amazing, and mental health.

Investigative moxie

Excellent narration! Bly's 1887 undercover stint and subsequent reporting on conditions at a New York insane asylum created a sensation, and spurred a large-scale investigation of the facility.

Also includes 2 shorter pieces in which she investigates employment agencies for young women, and works at a paper box factory.

Nellie Bly Invents Investigative Journalism

The bright, funny and determined personality of Nellie Bly, who worked in these and other pieces to develop what became first person investigative journalism, comes through in every page. Merlington's narration is perfect in tone and effective in expressing Bly's humor and disposition. This is the journalist as heroic figure, producing reform in corrupt institutions in a corrupt era. Though not quite dead, it would be worthwhile to see this concept, and the realized importance of high quality journalism, more fully revived in out era.

loved the book and this

i actually work with people who are mentally challenged and I love this book and to be able to see how they treated them back then is not suprising. People were very cruel I will listen to this again.

A Piece of History Everyone Should Know

Nellie Bly was a true journalist and reporter, going to places where many people would shirk any such doing. The depths of inhumation of the United States healthcare system has been evident from the beginning, and looking at today's situation vs. history, not much has changed. Ms. Bly called attention to the abuse, depravity, and lack of humanity - not just for the truly insane, but for womenkind and immigrants in general - and changed as much as one woman could, under the circumstances. It is hard to believe that humans can be so cruel to each other until reading or hearing about it, and this report is one such example.

A true hero

Watched a movie with the same title. I am always disappointed how the movie makers add extra bs when the real story is better and more inspiring. Real, truthful investigative reporting is a cornerstone of our democracy. It is how we keep informed and know when to put the screws to lawmakers who let such horrors exist. I loved hearing the real story in Nellie Bly’s own words.

What a Brave Woman Nellie Bly Was!

I had heard about this book and knew of Nellie Bly's bravery, but after listening to this my respect for her grew tenfold. This female journalist managed to get herself committed to an insane asylum despite being completely sane in order to expose the treatment of the patients. From listening to this I'm guessing that she didn't anticipate just how horrifying these places could be. If things had gone wrong she might have ended up committed and in the asylum for ten months, or ten years, or the rest of her life. She did this selflessly. Thank goodness she was able to get out of the situation after just ten days. Her account of those days helped a lot of people get better treatment.

If you have ancestors who were in an insane asylum, do not ever be ashamed. They may have been wrongly committed or been kept for far too long because there was no real treatment. There life during their stay was probably a living hell.

There are two shorter stories, but they don't have the emotional impact that her account of the asylum has. The narrator is really great and enhances the story.

We have a long way to go in this society in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Things would be much worse without Nellie Bly.

amazing

I loved every second of it. Never living through or around this, I had no idea what life was like back then.

What astonishing risk

Talk about getting change for others. Wow. she took a rick that pain off, outstanding.