THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE

Kate Moore

SCRIBE, RRP $35

When, in the mid-19th century, Elizabeth Packard began expressing opinions about the rights of women, her husband did what many husbands of the era felt they were entitled to do. He had her committed to a mental asylum. There Packard joined many clear-minded intelligent women who had been betrayed by their partners because the men felt threatened, or simply wanted to be rid of their wives. From the Illinois State Hospital, Packard fought a male dominated system, which was supported by medical science, and began a quest to escape the madhouse, seek justice for the women who were incarcerated, and ultimately change the laws. In a thoroughly researched book, Moore has woven Packard’s tale into the wider story of the birth of women’s rights and an upheaval that eventually altered western society. The result is a sobering tale that reads like an exciting novel.

JEFF MAYNARD VERDICT: Gripping