Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in

Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York

"Enthralling; it is wellÂ worth the trip.â€ --New York Journal of Books
Conceived as the most modern, humaneÂ incarceration facility the world had ever seen, New Yorkâ€™s Blackwellâ€™s Island,Â siteÂ of a lunatic asylum, two prisons, an almshouse, and a number of hospitals, quicklyÂ became, in the words of aÂ visiting Charles Dickens, "a lounging, listlessÂ madhouse."Â Digging through city records,Â newspaper articles, andÂ archival reports, Stacy Horn tells a gripping narrativeÂ through the voices of the islandâ€™s inhabitants. We also hearÂ from the eraâ€™sÂ officials, reformers, and journalists, including the celebrated undercoverÂ reporter Nellie Bly. And weÂ follow the extraordinary Reverend William GlenneyÂ French as he ministers to Blackwellâ€™s residents, battles theÂ bureaucraticÂ mazes of the Department of Correction and a corrupt City Hall, testifies atÂ salacious trials, and in hisÂ diary wonders about manâ€™s inhumanity to his fellowÂ man.Â Damnation IslandÂ shows how farÂ weâ€™ve come in caringÂ for the least fortunate among usâ€”and reminds us how muchÂ work still remains.
Country USA
Manufacturer Algonquin Books
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2018-05-15
Format Kindle eBook

Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York