Welcome to Litsy!

For as long as I can remember, I have had a fascination with institutions. I suppose it‘s because I have a curiosity for places not accessible to everyone and the people who live and work in those places. I‘ve looked forward to reading this book as I had never heard of Blackwell‘s Island and the subject matter seemed a perfect fit for my interests.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

Lots of good and sad information. This made me angry, as intended, the sexism, racism and classism… 😳😳😵‍💫… I recommend the audiobook!

Just a little “light” reading

Fascinating audiobook that reveals the true history of what's known today as NYC's Roosevelt Island. Anyone sent to the alm's house, mental institution, or prison was pretty much issued a death sentence. Forced to bathe in water that 30 of your inmates have already used and turned brown with dirt and disease; not enough beds; no heat; torturous treatments. It's all horrifying & a reminder that tragedy doesn't just happen in other countries.

Proving that American officials have a history of bad ideas, Horn tells the story of Blackwell Island, which had facilities for criminals, the poor, and “lunatics.” The treatment of people is horrifying, including starvation and torture. Plus, they had prisoners “caring for” the mentally ill. A fascinating read, but be ready to watch baby animal YouTube videos afterward to wash out your brain.

I‘m in a non fiction kick atm, luckily I have a large stockpile encompassing so many different topics. This is one I‘ve been dying to get to. NYC has always held a fascination for me, it‘s history is just so interesting. Whether it‘s about the original Native owners,the Dutch then the English, or the melting pot of ethnicities that have shaped it, it‘s just endlessly full of interesting stories, like this one about the origins of Roosevelt Island.

4⭐ An incredibly interesting picture of how the past treated mental health and ppverty.

The stories in this book are crazy, I knew it was bad, but Wow!

#BookMail Pt13 The 2nd book from the #MailPileOfDoom is a non fiction book. Now known as Roosevelt Island, when it was bought by NYC in 1828 it was called Blackwell‘s Island. For the next 100yrs it would be home to the insane, the indigent & the criminal. Or if you were unlucky enough, a woman who spoke her mind. This book tells what daily life was like, and what charity & therapy in the 19th century looked like. Both chilling & eye opening😱

Blackwell Island off of NYC perfectly fits for #MonsterHospital . On my #tbr pile. #TimbitTunes

FINALLY!! Its taken me over a month, but I finally finished this. It's well written and informative, but so dark, grim and depressing that its becomes almost painful to read. I'd recommend it if you're interested in 19th Century New York, but otherwise I'd say pass.
3 💥💥💥 1/2 out of 5

What feels like a million years of being sick, plus rain every single day day, means I plan to sit in my chair and read more about the horrors of Blackwell‘s Island. This one is quite good and clips long at a pretty good pace. Today I start reading about the penitentiary.

I‘ve been really sick since Tuesday so very little reading done. Binge watched a ton of American Horror Story, which is leading me down the rabbit whole of asylums. Really liking these two as I start to feel better and able to concentrate.

I know I‘m in the minority but I hated this book. It was obviously well-researched but, after a while, it felt more like misery-porn. Yes, the treatment of inmates and the politics and cultural aspects involved were important but there were so many stories that were similar enough that the point had been made over and over and over. I finally stopped at about 80% after reading about a mutilated dog being operated on without anesthesia.

This book made me uncomfortable and angry and I believe those are important things to feel. It's sad how throughout history we've forgotten that both prisoners and the mentally ill are still human beings. This book is another one of those stories. #25infive #13hoursin

Audiobooks - the only way I can keep up with #25infive.

Mostly because I can't sit still for longer than an hour at a time.

My most recent audiobook put me in a little bit of an audio funk.

Trying to get back into them by dipping into this for my Monday listen.

Recent events in America have shocked many of us who thought we‘d outgrown human rights violations. Despite our current failings we‘ve come along way. This history recounts a quarter century experiment with charity and corrections on New York‘s Roosevelt Island. The plan was a scientific and humane treatment of the city‘s mentally ill, poor, criminal and ill inhabitants in one location. The results were often disappointing. Great read!

I've found that audiobook wise I love non fiction. I loved this as much as you can with the subject matter and this book will really break your heart. Particularly sad is people who were trying to change things on the island for the better who were thwarted by higher ups and then blamed for conditions. Particularly strong is the epilogue, it links the past to today and so doesn't let us off the hook just going oh history. That bit is short though

I finished this last night, and it was horrifying but totally unputdownable. I kept reading even as my stomach hurt!

Insomnia sucks, but thankfully audiobooks don't. Saw this recommended on @bookriot for real podcast and then found it on audio on #scribd.
So far I'm really interested if horrified by the conditions that people had to live through, there's a bit about baths that will make you gag at the idea. Not soothing listening whilst trying to sleep #riotgrams

I had to bail. Barely made it to my cut off of 100 pages!

Excited to read this book about Roosevelt Island in the 1800‘s! #GoodreadsGiveawayWin