Damnation Island

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

De: Stacy Horn

Narrado por: Pam Ward

Today it is known as Roosevelt Island. In 1828, when New York City purchased this narrow, two-mile-long island in the East River, it was called Blackwell's Island. There, over the next hundred years, the city would build a lunatic asylum, prison, hospital, workhouse, and almshouse.

Stacy Horn has crafted a compelling and chilling narrative told through the stories of the poor souls sent to Blackwell's, as well as the period's city officials, reformers, and journalists (including the famous Nellie Bly). Damnation Island re-creates what daily life was like on the island, what politics shaped it, and what constituted charity and therapy in the 19th century. Throughout the book, we return to the extraordinary Blackwell's missionary Reverend French, champion of the forgotten, as he ministers to these inmates, battles the bureaucratic mazes of the Corrections Department and a corrupt City Hall, testifies at salacious trials, and in his diary wonders about man's inhumanity to man.

For history fans, and for anyone interested in the ways we care for the least fortunate among us, Damnation Island is an eye-opening look at a closed and secretive world. In a tale that is exceedingly relevant today, Horn shows us how far we've come - and how much work still remains.

©2018 Stacy Horn (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Just ok.

It was wonderfully researched and actually very interesting. I can’t explain why I couldn’t wait for it to end, but about halfway through I wanted it to stop. Of course I had to finish, but I’ve never been so happy for finish a book. It wasn’t bad. The narrator was ok. The stories were ok. They were just all so similar and it felt like different variations of the same story on repeat.

Solid Read

Loved that this took French's POV. Made the book more personal. If you like medical history or history this is worth your time.

Tedious

Lots of interesting information, but goodness it was tedious! I ended up skipping some chapters, but glad to find out what went on there.

Good to know the past

The depressing part is just how much things haven't changed. Many of the shortcomings of the 19th century still hold true in the 21st century.

Enlightening, but depressing

This book basically lays out the failures of 19th-century New York in dealing humanely with its staggering number of criminals, the sick, the destitute, and the mentally ill. The book's organization takes these subjects in turn.

The evolution of Blackwell's island, as presented here by Horn, illustrates 19th century thought on how to deal with these 'undesirables.' The story felt like a bit of a slog at times and I ended up skipping through some chapters. Still, I found it valuable for understanding how crime, poverty, and insanity were thought of and dealt with in the antebellum years and "Gilded Age." I happen to be doing some research on this time period, so this book was helpful with that. I don't know if I would recommend it as a "casual read" since it does deal with some pretty harrowing subjects.