In THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE, Kate Moore --- the bestselling author of THE RADIUM GIRLS --- takes on the case of Elizabeth Packard, who in 1860 was consigned to an insane asylum at the urging of her preacher husband.

It was a difficult time for the United States, with civil war looming and abolitionism rising. Elizabeth, who had sought to obey her much older husband, Theophilus, in all things as befitted a female of her time, could not help but express opinions --- against slavery, and for women’s rights. Additionally, she conducted classes at his church in which her belief that God is loving, not punishing, was in opposition to what he preached. But the couple, despite their disagreements, had six children and many obligations, and Elizabeth never expected to be picked up one day and hauled away to the Illinois State Hospital for the Insane.

"Moore has produced a work that merits readership now, especially as so many individuals and groups struggle for the right to be fairly and fully heard."

Remarkably, as Moore’s diligent research reveals at every turn in this emotionally charged tale, Elizabeth coped. She organized small prayer sessions, continually asserted that she was sane, and tried without success to reconcile with Theophilus to secure her release. After three years she was freed, having been pronounced “incurable” --- but he still plotted her reincarceration because her radical ideas were threatening his livelihood. Shortly thereafter, a speedy trial found her sane with testimony from neighbors and others providing needed support where her husband offered none. On her own, and having already written copious materials on the conditions and rights --- or lack thereof --- among those locked in asylums, she gained her rightful niche as a campaigner and reformer for the rights of many downtrodden groups. 

THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE is written from the inside, as though Moore was present as these events unfolded. She portrays Elizabeth as a loving, concerned mother, a thoughtful person of faith, and a highly intelligent spokesperson for her strongly held beliefs. We see the desperation and grief of mothers bereft of their children, trapped as Elizabeth was, within heartless walls, with threats of restraints, solitary confinement and worse. Denial of writing privileges and censorship of letters were further proof of the women’s powerlessness.

Kate Moore makes plain that her heroine’s gradual rise to the limelight was due to her absolute persistence and strong will. This quality is encapsulated in Elizabeth’s statement, as she launched her journal of events inside the asylum: “It shall be said of me, ‘She hath done what she could.’” Giving voice to “the woman they could not silence,” Moore has produced a work that merits readership now, especially as so many individuals and groups struggle for the right to be fairly and fully heard.