Damnation Island - Stacy Horn

 

Subtitled "Poor, Sick, Mad and Criminal in 19th-Century New York", this book tells the tale of Blackwell Island, off the coast of Manhattan, and the institutions there that were meant to help the less fortunate, but which became horrific in its abuses.

It all originated with the best intentions but, as with all too many institutions like these, the powers-that-be vastly underestimated the need and also underestimated the greed of all too many people involved. The island eventually contained a penitentiary, asylums, almshouses and hospitals, all of which were quickly overcrowded (and underfunded) to the point of being incredibly unsanitary (do not read the descriptions while trying to eat!) and unsafe in the extreme. Besides those in power that would look the other way to the abuses, in order to keep costs down, unqualified prisoners and others kept in the various institutions would "look after" those in the asylums - which often meant violently abusing them, starving them and depriving them of basic comforts.

Throughout the decades covered in the book, there is various turnover (and some legal interventions due to reporters uncovering details of abuses and deaths), often with the best intentions, but everyone is always overwhelmed and nothing ever really improves in any significant way, all the way through to the demolishment of the institutions.

When I randomly picked this up at the Founders Club Book Fair, I assumed that it was a work of fiction, but being a true story makes this infinitely more depressing. In fact, I needed to take breaks from it several times because it is such a bummer! 

Interesting and informative, to be sure, but not an enjoyable read, by any means.