It is Illinois in 1860, and while the rest of the nation is chugging along toward war, Elizabeth Packard is fighting for her freedom. The laws at the time treated women like cattle, to be set aside when they were no longer deemed worthy. Elizabeth’s only crime was being intelligent and independent. Her husband felt threatened by her abilities, so after twenty-one years of marriage, and six children, he had her committed to the Illinois state insane asylum. But Elizabeth wasn’t crazy, and neither were a lot of the other women. Many women were in the same position as Elizabeth, set aside as an inconvenience. Faced with little chance to change her station, Elizabeth Packard begins to write a memoir, a history of her wrongful incarceration, and the deplorable conditions she, and so many other women, were forced to live in. Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard was the champion for women who had no voice of their own. Throughout every setback, every harsh word, every humiliating treatment, Elizabeth kept a careful account. When she finally secured her release, she kept her promise to speak for those women. She fought for mothers’ rights and women’s freedom from a life of submission.
Kate Moore, author of Radium Girls, is back and shining a light on the mistreatment of women in the 19th century. She tells the story of Elizabeth Packard with stark honesty. Kate’s writing put me in the anxious position of a woman struggling to take back a life ripped from her, and that was a scary place to be. I enjoyed learning about a woman that we should all know better. This brave woman spoke for women without voices, and Kate Moore gave her the microphone.
This is an important book. I felt sadness, anxiety and anger on behalf of every woman, but in Elizabeth Packard, I felt hope. Kate Moore has a knack for shining a light on dark corners and teaching her readers to learn from the past. I highly recommend this to readers who enjoyed Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, The Man Who Hated Women by Amy Sohn, and The Unfit Heiress by Audrey Farley.