Madwoman by Louisa Treger

Based on a true story, a spellbinding historical novel about the world’s first female investigative journalist, Nellie Bly.

In 1887, young Nellie Bly sets out for New York and a career in journalism, determined to make her way as a serious reporter, whatever that may take.

But life in the city is tougher than she imagined. Down to her last dime and desperate to prove her worth, she comes up with a dangerous plan: to fake insanity and have herself committed to the asylum on Blackwell’s Island. There, she will work undercover to expose the asylum’s wretched conditions.

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?

An extraordinary portrait of a woman ahead of her time, Madwoman is the story of a quest for the truth that changed the world.

I don’t know if I could ever be as brave as Nellie Bly. Mental healthcare was essentially nonexistent in the late 1800’s, so the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island was not a place anyone would ever to visit. Living conditions were terrible, abuse was rampant, and many unwanted women were merely placed there as a convenient way to be rid of them.

As an aspiring journalist, Nellie Bly voluntarily enters the asylum undercover to expose the deplorable conditions, but with it comes very valid concerns. What horrors will she be subjected to? What if she never makes it back out? Madwoman is a difficult but very compelling read. It’s a great introduction to a real historical figure, and I couldn’t resist researching Nellie Bly the second I finished the last page.

Thank you @bloomsburypublishing for this gifted copy!

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