From the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal
bestselling author of The Radium Girls comes another dark and dramatic
but ultimately uplifting tale of a forgotten woman hero whose
inspirational journey sparked lasting change for women's rights and
exposed injustices that still resonate today.
1860: As the clash between the states rolls slowly to a boil, Elizabeth
Packard, housewife and mother of six, is facing her own battle. The
enemy sits across the table and sleeps in the next room. Her husband of
twenty-one years is plotting against her because he feels increasingly
threatened--by Elizabeth's intellect, independence, and unwillingness to
stifle her own thoughts. So he makes a plan to put his wife back in her
place. One summer morning, he has her committed to an insane asylum.
The horrific conditions inside the Illinois State Hospital in
Jacksonville, Illinois, are overseen by Dr. Andrew McFarland, a man who
will prove to be even more dangerous to Elizabeth than her traitorous
husband. But most disturbing is that Elizabeth is not the only sane
woman confined to the institution. There are many rational women on her
ward who tell the same story: they've been committed not because they
need medical treatment, but to keep them in line--conveniently labeled
"crazy" so their voices are ignored.
No one is willing to fight for their freedom and, disenfranchised both
by gender and the stigma of their supposed madness, they cannot possibly
fight for themselves. But Elizabeth is about to discover that the merit
of losing everything is that you then have nothing to lose...
Bestselling author Kate Moore brings her sparkling narrative voice to
The Woman They Could Not Silence, an unputdownable story of the
forgotten woman who courageously fought for her own freedom--and in so
doing freed millions more. Elizabeth's refusal to be silenced and her
ceaseless quest for justice not only challenged the medical science of
the day, and led to a giant leap forward in human rights, it also
showcased the most salutary lesson: sometimes, the greatest heroes we
have are those inside ourselves.
Praise for The Woman They Could Not Silence:
"Like Radium Girls, this volume is a page-turner."--Library Journal,
STARRED review
"A veritable tour de force about how far women's rights have come and
how far we still have to go...Put this book in the hands of every young
feminist."--Booklist, STARRED review
"In Moore's expert hands, this beautifully-written tale unspools with
drama and power, and puts Elizabeth Packard on the map at the most
relevant moment imaginable. You will be riveted--and inspired.
Bravo!"--Liza Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of Code
Girls
