Cover Image: The Woman They Could Not Silence

The Woman They Could Not Silence

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Member Reviews

“From the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Radium Girls comes another dark and dramatic but ultimately uplifting tale of a forgotten woman hero whose inspirational journey sparked lasting change for women's rights and exposed injustices that still resonate today.”

It was a fascinating listen - I was humbled by the fact that I had not known about Elizabeth Packard before reading about this book and I saw quite a few parallels to @chrisbohjalian newest book “Hour Of The Witch” set in 1662, this one is a nonfiction set two hundred years later and nobody is accusing Elizabeth Packard of witchcraft but since her religious views diverge from her husband’s she is sent to an insane asylum and committed.

This is a well-researched, eye opening and powerful book about a woman who fought for justice and human rights against the prejudice and discrimination that faced women in the eyes of the law, society and politics. Elizabeth Packard’s name needs to be remembered for her life, legacy and the countless lives she saved and this book is a beautiful portrait that recognises and celebrates her journey.

Narration by the author and it definitely kept me engaged and listening ! Absolutely fascinating !

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This was such an intense and interesting read. Elizabeth’s story was one that I was not aware of previously but it illuminated even more the mistreatment of woman and the “insane” in America history. This book definitely brought to light issues that were thankfully addressed by Elizabeth but that is also an issue of current women. This is a book for anyone who wants a look into womens right, asylums, resiliency, and a mother’s love.
While I did enjoy the narrators voice, I did have to speed up the audio to listen to.

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I was given the opportunity to get an early listen to this book thanks to NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This book tells the true story of Elizabeth Packard, a pioneer in the 1800’s for women’s rights. Going up against a system she seemingly didn’t stand a chance with, yet still made so much progress in the field of women’s rights. Yet still when you look at things today the same issues exist. It’s default to try to immediately discredit women but making them seem “crazy”
So we have come so far yet we haven’t.
This book was phenomenal and I highly recommend it
While I had known of Elizabeth Packard I didn’t have a clue how much work and advocacy she did every single day of her life. I’m so happy to have read this. So happy to continue her work in present day

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Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Kate Moore never disappoints! I love how she tells the story of forgotten women in history - and inspiring people to care about them. For those of you who liked her book The Radium Girls, you'll like this one too. In her newest novel, Kate Moore tackles the injustice of women wrongly institutionalized during the American Civil War and one woman's resilient fight for justice. Even though the book is set during the 18000's, Kate does a really nice job tying the story into current events today and why we should care. I learned a lot and highly recommend this book to others.

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I really enjoyed this book narrated more than I did reading it and I was even more impressed that the author was the narrator. She has a calming but not boring voice and she adds passion into her voice that emphasizes the parts she really wanted to bring more emotion to. Though I still think the book could have used more editing and was tedious at points, I actually enjoyed listening to it more than reading it.

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I want to start out by saying the I read 'Radium Girls,' by Kate Moore and ADORED it, so I had high expectations for this book. Luckily, I was not let down.

Moore is fantastic at taking a non-fiction topic, and turning it into a flowing story. Her latest work focuses on the life of Elizabeth Packard, who are outspoken in a time when it was not acceptable. Not only that, but she dared to stand against her husband. What follows is Elizabeth's journey into a psychiatric facility in Illinois. Her we are faced with the horror that is many rational women locked up under the pretense of being 'crazy.'

If you are interested in a non-fiction, feminist story, or you just enjoy the work of Kate Moore, make sure to check this one out.

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Book review:
Written in a similar style as the author’s earlier, Radium Girls, this nonfiction book tells the story of a woman held against her will in an asylum. The subject of many literary storylines, this book gives a true account.
Audiobook review: The author reads her own work. In this case, I feel that a professional narrator would have served this book better. The narration is quite slow and the author as a heavy accent combining to make this an audiobook that I would not recommend.

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While this book is extremely sad in how she was treated, it is important to read this book. Kate Moore does a wonderful job of making this book readable and I would highly recommend.

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Elizabeth Packard. Have you heard of her? If you care about women’s rights, you’ll want to learn about her. If you care about mental illness and the path to compassionate care and diagnosis, then you’ll want to learn about Elizabeth Packard. In the 19th century women had no rights. Upon marriage, they gave up everything. When Elizabeth began to find her voice, her husband was not happy. His solution was to deem her insane and have her committed to an asylum. Any husband has that power at the time. Her brilliant mind and compassionate nature led her to fight her committal and advocate for patients’ and women’s rights. Listen to the audiobook for an edge of your seat account of her work. Kate Moore does a wonderful job narrating her book. I normally listen at 1.25. I listened to this book even faster (1.5) because I couldn’t wait for what would happen next. I was pleased that the audio remained easily understood. People should be reading this book and talking about Elizabeth Packard. What she experienced is still happening today. She deserves her place in history.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I’ll be talking about this book everywhere I go.

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