Nellie Bly, Ten Days in a Mad-House

 

Nellie Bly was a journalist for the New York World in the late 1800s who often went ‘undercover’ to get her stories.  “Ten Days in a Mad-House” was originally published in the newspaper, and is based on Nellie’s exposé as a patient at Blackwell’s Island, a notorious insane asylum.  Ms. Bly’s writing style is very simplistic, almost like she is talking instead of writing, and I can see that it would fit better in a newspaper style of the late 1800s.  However, that style in a book format is not as enjoyable.  The information conveyed is interesting, but other than finding out that she was able to gain some improvements for the inmates at Blackwell’s Island after her stay, there are many unknowns about the women she met and cared about during her stay.  Overall, this book left me wanting more information.