4.5 stars, rounded up. This was easily my most anticipated nonfiction of 2021, and after reading Elizabeth Packard's story, I can't wait for more readers to get their hands on it and find out more about this woman and her legacy. When Packard was committed to an asylum by her husband, she quickly found out she had very little recourse in the laws of the time, and based on the understandings of mental health at the time, very little she could do to "prove" that she didn't belong there- and neither did many of the other women she encountered during her time at the Illinois State Hospital. It's infuriating to read about how little agency women had, and the uphill battle that Elizabeth Packard faced in her quest to get back to her children and to make public the injustices she had learned of. Her work to change laws and understandings of the time had a lasting impact, and it's unfortunate that this book was the first time I learned about this passionate fighter for justice.

A very interesting novel. I had never heard of Elizabeth Packard but we all should hear of her now. The fact that back in the 1860s men could send women to an insane asylum for just speaking their mind or disagreeing with their husbands is very scary. It was a well thought out and well written non-fiction novel and the author cited all her research. At times one just wanted to scream at all the obstacles put in her way by the men and it can be upsetting at times. Luckily Elizabeth prevailed. She worked to change the ways women are admitted to insane asylums and worked to release women being held there by abusive husbands.
An excellent read.

I had no idea who Elizabeth Packard was, but we should ALL know who she is. This narrative nonfiction is so well written, I devoured it although it was extremely infuriating to read. I can't stop thinking about it. This would be a great book club selection.

Interesting well-written and researched look at women and insane asylums in the 1800s in America that is based on a true story. Elizabeth Packard, a middle-aged woman with 6 children, is sent to an asylum by her husband not because she is insane but to get rid of her. Why? She was outspoken, and dared to have and express an opinion that ran contrary to her husband’s. Men had all the power over their wives and could do with them as they pleased. Insane asylums, run by men, were only too happy to receive payment to imprision these women. Not surprisingly, the conditions in the asylums were horrific and abuse was rampant. Elizabeth was kept in the asylum with no proof of insanity for three years. But her husband and the men who ran the asylums underestimated her , her intelligence and her unwavering will to return to her children. Elizabeth was eventually released and she worked tirelessly to stop the exploitation of women in these asylums. This was a fascinating, insightful look at the plight of women in the 1800s. I felt infuriated, sad, but ultimately inspired by this story. Very well done!

Thanks to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an interesting glimpse back in time where women could be committed to insane asylums for the simplest disagreement with her husband. It has pictures throughout the book so you can visualize the people and the settings. All in all a well done book! 4 stars.

I saw Kate Moore at Bookfest and was interested in her newest book. Conceivably I could have been incarcerated in an insane asylum, according to 19th century standards, for reading novels. Well, I love reading and would have been possible fodder. I am well aware of the lack of rights married women had in 19th century America and Moore tells a good tale of a woman who fought back, Elizabeth Packard. I had never heard of her, but she had a lot of influence in gaining protection for women. I wanted to throttle her spiteful, petty husband for most of the book. The separation from her children had a profound impact on all of them. This book is a good contribution to the social and legal history of women’s rights in America.

Nonfiction from the author of The Radium Girls!
Historically we all know how backward 19th century thought was concerning women, getting to know the main character Elizabeth, then reading how she was treated was heart-rending. It made me thankful to all our embattled ancestors who had to endure this for modern women's rights. It's depressing and sickening to imagine myself in this position.

Although the events illustrated are not pleasant to read 'The Woman They Could Not Silence' by Kate Moore should be recommended reading for all to bear witness, so that this history never repeats itself. The way she masterfully weaves the life of Elizabeth Packard into an interesting story is pure genius. I didn't want to put the book down. Elizabeth was such an intelligent, strong and self assured woman. She was the perfect subject for a book like this.

"The law did not apply to married women. They could be received at an asylum simply by the request of the husband. Because married women at that time in the eyes of the law were civilly dead. They were not citizens,  they were shadows: subsumed within the legal identities of their husbands from the moment they took their marital vows."

"...psychiatrists mistakenly deduced that slavery must be advantageous to mental health. Those few people of color admitted to asylums therefore found the cause of their derangement often listed as just one word: “freedom.” One physician even theorized that to run away from slavery was itself madness."

There is a warning in the beginning of this book that cautions that the author uses vernacular of the time period in all it's insulting glory. To the modern ear it's shocking but I think in terms of this book we need that shock. We as readers need the full experience of how horrifying the treatment was. It also holds a mirror up to our current society in terms of things that haven't changed enough from then til now. Thanks to Sourcebooks for my egalley.

“Don’t sneer at the suggestion of our aspiring to an equality with the men!… Because perverted manhood has trodden us so long under foot, shall we choose to lick the dust?" -Elizabeth Packard

Elizabeth Packard is the subject of Kate Moore’s new book, The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear. But I’ll venture to guess you’ve never heard of Mrs. Packard. Although her story is quite dramatic, you won’t find her in history books. And, if her husband Theophilus had anything to say about it, she would have lived out her days in an asylum for the insane. Yet, she was quite sane.

The Packards lived in 19th century midwestern America, and the events of Moore’s book begin just as rumblings of the Civil War start. Their home is also a civil war of sorts, with Elizabeth supporting abolition and her pastor husband opposing. Mrs. Packard spent most of her life birthing and raising six children, keeping house, and being the dutiful pastor’s wife. Then Theophilus moved his church from one doctrine to another, more conservative one. And Mrs. Packard objected. Publicly. Mr. Packard reacted by packing her off to the asylum. He needed just two amenable doctors to “certify” his wife as insane.

And off she goes to Jacksonville, Illinois’ State Hospital, run by Dr. Andrew McFarland. Calling him a misogynistic enabler of vindictive husbands is an understatement. So, Elizabeth fights while stuck in her corner of this triangle. As best she can, she creates a place for herself in the asylum. Initially, she makes some friends among both patients and staff. She even connects with McFarland.

And then things go south, and she ups her game and fights even harder to get out of the hospital. Because it’s not just her life, but the lives of the many other unjustly incarcerated wives that depend on her ability to escape with her mind intact.

My conclusions
Moore tells readers right up front that she chose Mrs. Packard’s story because she gets out from under this unjust commitment. So, there’s no spoiler in saying that here. And it takes hundreds of pages with extensive details to explain how she breaks these bonds. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just complicated.

Moore combines social history with biography. This is much more than just Elizabeth’s story. It’s the story of all women in that male-centric society. And it’s about a politically divided country, which only adds to the divisions in place between men and women. Moore connects these various stories well and uses events of the day as a foil for Packard’s complex journey to freedom.

But at the heart of the story is one strong woman who took stock of her own situation. Then she determined to help all the other female patients in asylums across the country. She could’ve just taken the abuse from her husband, McFarland, and the staff. Instead, she fought back with her words, both verbal and written. She found a way when the situation seemed hopeless.

As inspiring as this is, there are places in the book where the story drags a bit. The machinations of the legal and mental health system in that era move slowly. Still, it’s worth persisting because Elizabeth Packard is remarkable. And Kate Moore does a stellar job telling her story.

Acknowledgements
Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advance copy of The Woman They Could Not Silence, publication date June 22, 2021.

Well, Kate Moore did it again. This book was a treasure trove of information about Elizabeth Packard, an absolute beast of a woman. It was fascinating to read her life story and life’s work.

I was both fascinated and horrified by McFarland. His “character” was spine-chilling, as was Mr. Packard’s methodical and insidious erosion of Elizabeth’s freedom.

As one or two other people mentioned, the work is full of quotes and they can be distracting if you focus on it. However, I also felt they added a very human element to the book, having Elizabeth’s own words as well as several other people’s.

Elizabeth Packard is an Inspiration and Kate Moore and did an amazing job bringing her to life on the pages.

I was so happy to receive this ARC thru Net Galley and Source Books because of how much I enjoyed reading Radium Girls. Kate Moore did not disappoint. Elizabeth Packard was committed to an insane asylum in the 1800s by her husband because of some differences in viewpoints. She fought to prove her sanity both inside the asylum and after her discharge. She did so much afterwards to help the women that she encountered in the institution and for changes to rights for married women. This book was so well researched but also written so well that at times I forgot it was non fiction. It is a great book that came out at just the right time where we find ourselves again (still) fighting for equality for women.

Elizabeth was a remarkable person. Her husband Theophilus felt so threatened by her independent thinking and philosophy that he conspired to have her committed, tearing her away from her beloved children. He could not cope with his independent, outspoken wife who was gaining influence so began a conspiracy theory of derangement. At the time, the law stated that women could be put in an asylum simply based on the request of the husband.

A million thanks to Kate Moore for bringing Elizabeth’s story to life. I was awed by Kate’s extensive research and compelling storytelling. Kate points out in her Author Note that this is a nonfiction book and that everything in it is based on careful historical research. Every line of dialogue comes from a memoir, letter, trial transcript or some other record made by someone who was present at the time. It is an incredible story.

As I turned the pages, I became so angry about how women were treated, their intelligence stifled, the ease in which husbands had the ability to force a woman to be locked up in an asylum based on nonsense like simply reading a novel, having sunstroke, or domestic troubles. There is a historical chart Moore includes that lists these numerous causes of insanity. The list is insanity!!

The Woman They Could Not Silence
One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear
by Kate Moore
SOURCEBOOKS (non-fiction)
Sourcebooks
Biographies & Memoirs
Pub Date 22 Jun 2021 | Archive Date 26 Jun 2021

Possibly, one of the most important books you will read this summer. Kate Moore, author of the Radium Girls as well, does intense research so not only is this book true but it is also so incredibly sad that this type of behavior was allowed in those times. I will recommend this to our patrons. Thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher for this ARC. Well-written book!
5 stars

How on earth had I had never heard of any of this? I take pride in my true crime and history knowledge but clearly, I've been reading the wrong books, watching the wrong things, and taking the wrong classes. Excellent book. Super happy I read it.

A million thanks to Kate Moore for bringing Elizabeth’s story to life. As with Lilac Girls, I was awed by Kate’s extensive research and compelling storytelling. Kate points out in her Author Note that this is a nonfiction book and that everything in it is based on careful historical research. Every line of dialogue comes from a memoir, letter, trial transcript or some other record made by someone who was present at the time. It is an incredible story.

Elizabeth was a remarkable person. Her husband Theophilus felt so threatened by Elizabeth’s independent thinking and philosophy that he conspired to have her committed, tearing her away from her beloved children. He could not cope with his independent, outspoken wife who was gaining influence so began a conspiracy theory of derangement. At the time, the law stated that women could be put in an asylum simply based on the request of the husband.

As I turned the pages, I became so angry about how women were treated, their intelligence stifled, the ease in which husbands had the ability to force a woman to be locked up in an asylum based on nonsense like simply reading a novel, having sunstroke, or domestic troubles. There is a historical chart Moore includes that lists these numerous causes of insanity. The list is insanity!!

The misinformation of science of the times was staggering, quackery rampant. For example, it was once believed that a woman’s insanity sprang from the position of her uterus. Moore has meticulously researched historical records. Actual documents and photos are included and as I looked at a photo of the behemoth-sized Illinois State Hospital in the early 1860’s, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sadness for the many thousands of persons placed there based on fraudulent and idiotic diagnoses of mental illness. I received a complimentary copy of this book.

The Woman They Could Not Silence, I think this title says it all about this book. Her husband, the doctor in the asylum, the staff and so many others tried but Elizabeth Packard never quits in telling the truth about the unwarranted testimony to commit Elizabeth to the Illinois State Asylum and the lies and brutal treatment by the Dr. McFarland to keep her there so the “insane” tendencies could be exhibited, even though they never were.
Elizabeth only wanted to be able to say her own beliefs, and live her life as a knowledgeable woman but was condemned by men ti the asylum without hope of getting out even though no symptoms of insanity were evident other than she did t want to live with her abusive husband. Even while being unfairly committed, she cared for others to show compassion to those that were in the same position she was in.
Everyone should read this book and be brave enough to admit the horrors that were inflicted on people without any evidence. It reads like a fiction novel but is brutally honest about the actual conditions using the actual documented words of Elizabeth. This is another great read by Kate Moore on the true and real life of Elizabeth Packard.
#Netgalley #Sourcebooks

The story of Elizabeth Packard is a fascinating and infuriating one. It was incredibly easy for a man to put his wife or daughter in an asylum with no evidence of any mental problems needed. This details her fight to be released, and her equality work afterwards as well as her fight to have access to her own children.
I did find it a little long in places and some points felt like they were made more often than was needed - the story makes the points on it's own.

Impeccably researched and a highly fascinating, of frustrating, read. Will be recommending to nonfiction readers as well as fans of historical fiction.

The author of Radium Girls does not disappoint with her newest addition. Kate Moore is a captivating storyteller. A riveting historical fiction that focuses on women's rights in the late 1800s. A harrowing portrait of a woman placed in an asylum against her will. Wonderfully written and well researched.

The Woman They Could Not Silence is the latest release from Kate Moore, whose previous book, The Radium Girls is one of the best non-fiction books I have read in several years, and one that is still as fresh in my memory as when I first read it. That was a high standard to match and I was equally excited and apprehensive to crack open this new book and see where it would take me. I am so pleased to report that I was not disappointed, once again the author has given us a compelling story that will shock and anger the reader , but will absolutely have them turning the page desperately to find out what happens next.
The book tells the story of Elizabeth Packard, a woman who was incarcerated in an Asylum for the Insane at the behest of her husband , and her desperate and protracted struggles to free herself, prove her sanity and reunite with her children. Beginning in 1860 , through Elizabeth's tragic story, the author illustrates the desperate plight of so many women, regarded as little more than their husband's property, with no legal rights of their own. Elizabeth was no ordinary woman however, she was intelligent, determined and charming, and used all of these traits in her battles against her husband and the doctor in charge of the Illinois State Hospital , Dr Andrew McFarland. The author really brings her to life on the page, and her stories and struggles are so compelling that I found it difficult to put the book down. Although I had never heard of Elizabeth Packard before, versions of her story are familiar in fiction, thought I have to say I found her story more chilling , and ultimately more inspiring, than any fiction I have encountered. I was impressed by the amount of research the author had put into the book, it was fortunate that she had no shortage of primary documentation to work with given Mrs Packard's published works and many letters , as well as trial records and documentation of course. Although it is clear that the research is meticulous , it never impedes the author in her efforts to tell the story which flows in an impressively engaging manner.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

I read this having loved The Radium Girls, and this did not disappoint.
Instead of telling the story of a group of women, The Woman They Could Not Silence focuses in on one woman, Mrs Elizabeth Packard and her fight for women’s rights. What begins as her struggle to free herself from her abusive husbands control and the asylum he has her committed to transforms into a battle to save all the women she discovers being held captive in the same situation.
The choice of topic was great on multiple fronts. First, Mrs Packard was a fascinating woman, who lived an extraordinary life and her story makes for an incredible reading experience. Second, Mrs Packard was an avid journaller and letter writer, as were many of the people who are involved in her story so there is a lot of primary documentation to work with. Third, her story is still highly relevant and moving for the modern reader.
This was a deeply emotional and thought provoking read, but the writing style kept me engaged and wanting to read more.