Book Review: MadWoman

Book Review

MadWoman

This is a fascinating account of the pioneering American journalist, Nellie Bly. The title MadWoman is a reference to her faked insanity to gain admission to an asylum in the nineteenth century and expose its shameful practices.

MadWoman is Louisa Treger’s third novel, a compelling but harrowing read, quite unlike her previous books Dragon Lady and The Lodger.

It is the story of Nellie Bly who has a difficult childhood, after her beloved father dies leaving Nellie’s mother, bereft and almost penniless. A further marriage takes place where the stepfather is violent towards Nellie’s mother. Despite the social shame attached to divorce in the nineteenth century, Nellie’s mother divorces her husband resulting in greater penury but physical safety for the family.

Nellie decides to pursue a career in journalism and has some success writing for the Pittsburg Dispatch. Emboldened by this, she moves to New York in 1897 and tries to obtain employment on a major newspaper The New York World. This is not easy given the prejudice against female journalists, especially those tackling subjects other than fashion and beauty. After encountering difficulties in finding employment, she conceives an audacious plan to expose the treatment of women in an asylum on Blackwell’s Island, New York. Incredibly, she manages to convince sufficient people that she is suffering from mental illness to be committed to the asylum. She does this under the auspices of Joseph Pulitzer, the owner of The New York World. The plan is for Nellie’s release to be secured by Pulitzer after seven days of incarceration. Horrifically things do not work out as planned.

I could not put the book down once Nellie was in the asylum. Nellie is a woman ahead of her time with empathy for the poor and badly treated. What is especially shocking is that many of the inmates were there because their husbands had tired of them! Many patients would have had no recognisable mental illness.

This is a fascinating account of a pioneering journalist. Bly’s exposé published in The New York World brought about a largescale investigation of the asylum. The investigation resulted in significant changes in the overseeing institution; more funds, additional physicians to supervise the nurses and staff, regulations to protect against overcrowding and fire hazards.

Nellie Bly is an intriguing character. After her incarceration on Blackwell’s Island, she decided to try to beat Jules Verne’s hero Phileas Fogg’s record of traveling around the world in less than 80 days. Travelling by ship, horse, rickshaw sampan burro and other vehicles. She achieved the feat in just over 72 days.

Margaret Hatwood

Membership Secretary Association of Women Solicitors, London