Elizabeth Packard was an ordinary Victorian housewife and mother of six. That was, until the first Woman’s Rights Convention was held in 1848, inspiring Elizabeth and many other women to dream of greater freedoms. She began voicing her opinions on politics and religion – opinions that her husband did not share. Incensed and deeply threatened by her growing independence, he had her declared ‘slightly insane’ and committed to an asylum.

Inside the Illinois State Hospital, Elizabeth found many other perfectly lucid women who, like her, had been betrayed by their husbands and incarcerated for daring to have a voice. But just because you are sane, doesn’t mean that you can escape a madhouse....

Fighting the stigma of her gender and her supposed madness, Elizabeth embarked on a ceaseless quest for justice. It not only challenged the medical science of the day and saved untold others from suffering her fate, it ultimately led to a giant leap forward in human rights the world over.

Listening Length

14 hours and 36 minutes
Author

Kate Moore
Narrator

Kate Moore
Audible release date

22 June 2021
Language

English
Publisher

Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
ASIN

B0953Z9VWL
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	14 hours and 36 minutes
Author	Kate Moore
Narrator	Kate Moore
Audible.com.au Release Date	22 June 2021
Publisher	Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B0953Z9VWL
Best Sellers Rank	23,407 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 32 in Women History 82 in Civil Rights & Liberties (Books) 121 in Political Freedom & Security

Customer reviews

5 star		70%
4 star		21%
3 star		6%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from Australia

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And for good reason

Reviewed in Australia on 22 April 2022

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I wasn't sure about reading this book but it proved fascinating. Kate uses her journalism skills to keep up interest as Elizabeth Packard takes on laws that deprive her of any rights. Her incarceration in a mental asylum energises her to do something to regain her children, her life, and the same for her sisters in the same boat.

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Shelleyrae

A fascinating biography

Reviewed in Australia on 11 October 2021

Meticulously researched with a readable narrative, The Woman They Could Not Silence is a fascinating expose of history and powerful biography of a courageous, noteworthy woman, Elizabeth Packard - who fought to be recognised as more than her husband’s property, and against the laws that allowed it. It’s long, and detailed but worth the read.

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Top reviews from other countries

Tor

Boringly written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2021

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This book is so boringly written. I had high hopes after listening to the author on women's hour radio 4. But it's really not worth a read

One person found this helpful

finoula

A great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 July 2021

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Very interesting book. Elizabeth Pacjard's life story is amazing. A really good read

One person found this helpful

Kenneth M Summers

It’s a true story!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 August 2021

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A really good read.

One person found this helpful

Thor

Every Woman Should Read This and Start Organizing for Protection!

Reviewed in Canada on 19 January 2022

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This is the story of Elizabeth Packard, an advocate for the rights of those incarcerated in mental asylums. This story, herself and others WHILE imprisoned in an Illinois asylum. Elizabeth was clearly not insane, nor were countless women also incarcerated there. The law of the day (and in the US up until the 1970s) allowed a husband to discard his wife who dared to think, question and have opinions differing from her spouse. The book details how easy it was for men to punish wives and daughters for daring to think and question the beliefs and opinions of men. Definitions of insanity amounted to thinking on her own. There was no known time for incarceration or criteria for release. The conditions for release were not known to the women and contact with loved ones was blocked by the director. The clear abuse of authority that existed then is worth reading for it exists today in different forms. While we don't have a tongue-piercing instrument to "filter" our words, we are still oppressed by the male patriarchal system. The details are there and the writing flows beautifully. As a nurse who worked in psychiatry for decades and now a researcher on patient advocacy, I strongly recommend this book for all women to read. We are not in the 1860s, but we are the first to be deemed NOW to have no quality of life and therefore to be disposable as a cost-saving measure. Well worth the purchase!

veilalice

Relatable and Inspiring

Reviewed in Canada on 22 November 2021

Verified Purchase

I bought this book to help me through a very tough time as a woman. Elizabeth Packard's relentlessness reminds me that we have to keep going if we want justice! I'd consider this book a biography of a powerful woman who was wronged by her own family, thrown into an inhumane institution, and who dug herself out of the sexist, misogynistic, patriarchal hole that was formed around her.

The Woman They Could Not Silence will remind you, long after you finish reading, that women before you fought tooth and nail for current rights. It also will remind you of the harsh realities of how women are still being hushed, silenced, muffled, you name it! It's ungodly to have an opinion, how dare you!

This is the type of book that can prepare your willpower and mentality for a court case if you ever have to due to S.A., human rights violation, or anything that tried to threaten your equality/equity as a woman.

For the men that read or are about to read this book, I strongly suggest you take it seriously as it is based on reality. This is the kind of garbage routine that is still happening, except it's in different forms and much better disguised. If you feel defensive reading it, perhaps take a look at how you approach the treatment of women and become part of the solution!

One person found this helpful

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The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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