The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore

Available Now

In The Woman They Could Not Silence, Kate Moore once again tackles an incredibly grim and complicated portion of our history in an accessible and compelling way. Thoroughly researched and skillfully crafted, Elizabeth Packard’s harrowing journey through the murky medical systems, ruled by a patronizing group of doctors, unfolds. Sent to an asylum by her overbearing and strict husband for merely speaking her opinion, Elizabeth Packard quickly discovered that the law was far from being on her side. Faced with her new reality, Elizabeth swiftly begins contacting close friends and collecting information to build the case of her sanity. But in an era where women were unable to own property, control their finances, or be placed in an asylum for simply reading novels, Elizabeth faced a monumental battle. 

Kate Moore writes excellent narrative non-fiction and really brought Elizabeth’s story to life. Just as in her previous books, Moore really focused on the people and their humanity. While the situations these women were placed in were cruel and barbaric, Moore also placed emphasis on the women’s roles in society at the time and their lack of rights within the laws. At no point does Moore excuse anyone’s behavior, only placing the situations in context of the time period. While this heartbreaking and emotional story is well researched and well written, it did feel longer than necessary and the beginning of the book was much slower in pacing than the last half. Overall, Kate Moore has given us another important and emotionally moving look at the complicated history of medicine and mental health. 

If you would like to add this powerful book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. 

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.