Ten Days In A Mad House by Brad Ricca
Published by Gallery 13 on April 2022Genres: Adult Fiction, Graphic Novel
Pages: 160
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
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Beautifully adapted and rendered through piercing illustrations by acclaimed creators Brad Ricca and Courtney Sieh, Nellie Bly’s complete, true-to-life 19th-century investigation of Blackwell Asylum captures a groundbreaking moment in history and reveals a haunting and timely glimpse at the starting point for conversations on mental health.
“I said I could and I would. And I did.”
While working for Joseph Pulitzer’s newspaper in 1887, Nellie Bly began an undercover investigation into the local Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell Island. Intent on seeing what life was like on the inside, Bly fooled trained physicians into thinking she was insane—a task too easily achieved—and had herself committed. In her ten days at the asylum, Bly witnessed horrifying conditions: the food was inedible, the women were forced into labor for the staff, the nurses and doctors were cruel or indifferent, and many of the women held there had no mental disorder of any kind.
Now adapted into graphic novel form by Brad Ricca and vividly rendered with beautiful and haunting illustrations by Courtney Sieh, Bly’s bold venture is given new life and meaning. Her fearless investigation into the living conditions at the Blackwell Asylum forever changed the field of journalism. A timely reminder to take notice of forgotten populations, Ten Days in a Mad-House warns us what happens when we look away.
I’ve been interested in Nellie Bly’s time in the insane asylum for years now, ever since I heard of her heroic time there as she was investigating the conditions. She was tasked with investigating the conditions and checked in as a patient. But what makes someone mad?
During this very dark time, many women were turned over to asylums for small reasons. They had a fit and showed anger, some were pregnant or had inheritances that men of the family would send them away so they would inherit. It’s still deeply disturbing, both how women were treated then and how we are treated now, to show in detail the injustices and liberties taken with women as they were seen as the weaker sex. The writer does a wonderful job really highlighting the more important parts of Nellie’s report. The illustrator’s art is both mesmerizing and disturbing to look at.
This graphic novel really adds another layer to her account.
There is something very unsettling about the book to see this horrors of the patients there instead of only reading Bly’s account at the time. I really liked the how the tone and the plot moved quickly, Nellie always being on guard and suspicious. The nurses were terrifying.
Overall, it’s a great representation of Bly’s time in the mad house but also a solid work of art.
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.
