Madwoman: Nellie Bly

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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.

Looking into her eyes, Nellie saw that there was a grief only beheld in lunatic asylums, a grief so deep and black that its victim was submerged beyond reach, far more wretched than a criminal.

Madwoman by Louisa Treger was a fascinating historical novel based on the life and trailblazing work of the woman who became known as Nellie Bly. I needed to know what kind of woman would willingly get herself committed to an asylum in the nineteenth century and just what did she experience while there? Here she was confined to writing columns of interest to women, such as social gossip and theatre reviews.

But Nellie’s work had a lasting impact on society and on women across the country who refused to be anything other than themselves. This account was most disturbing to read, and Blackwell was not the only institution where these appalling conditions occurred. The book has quite a slow beginning, and the parts about her childhood just didn't grab me; I found myself skim reading to get to the later chapters.This book shows how her desperation and perseverance in a male dominated field led her to become a patient at the Infamous Blackwell Asylum.