The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic
by Darby Penney, Peter Stastny
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Book Summary Information
Author: Darby Penney, Peter StastnyPhotographer: Lisa Rinzler
Edition: Hardcover
Published: 2008-01-01
ISBN: 1934137073
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Bellevue Literary Press
Book Reviews of The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic
Book Review: Middle of the Road
Summary: 3 Stars
Not one review before mine gave a score of "average". Folks either really like this book or absolutely hate it. The numerous errors and typos were easy to spot. The authors quickly established that they had "an axe to grind". But in most of their observations they were talking about institutional care of the past, rather than the current system. Not to say that events upon which they report aren't still happening. I do think the authors do a reasonable job of showing that a number of the cases upon which they report did not have a "wretched" before Willard. Examples such as "She is in a [private boarding] home and refused to leave after being ordered out and used vulgar and obscene language" seems pretty weak as justification for a lifetime of institutional commitment. And it does seem clear that the culture of the time resulted in very little timely research regarding the underlying reasons behind the patient's abnormalities. I do not share the view that these folks would have been upset with their stories being told, in fact with varying degrees, those that could think coherently would have probably welcomed it.
Summary of The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic
"A stunning achievement [that] . . . illuminates the tragedy of our treatment of those with mental and emotional problems."-Robert Whitaker, author of Mad in America
More than four hundred abandoned suitcases filled with patients' belongings were found when Willard Psychiatric Center closed in 1995 after 125 years of operation. In this fully-illustrated social history, they are skillfully examined and compared to the written record to create a moving-and devastating-group portrait of twentieth-century American psychiatric care.
Darby Penney is a leader in the human rights movement for people with psychiatric disabilities.
Peter Stastny is a psychiatrist and documentary filmmaker.
Lisa Rinzler is a prizewinning cinematographer.
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