How the childbearing age was made a sin and a shame in the Jane Crow era.
In the first half of the last century, “feeble-mindedness” was widely regarded as a scourge to society. While hereditary diseases and mental disorders were often cited as reasons for confinement, factors like morality and sexuality were also considered traits that could be passed down by birth.
Because of these beliefs, hundreds of girls and young women from broken homes, orphanages, jails, hospitals, convents, and shelters across Rhode Island were accused of posing a danger to themselves and society—and were legally committed to an institution for the feeble-minded.
The Exeter Girls series shares the true stories of women who faced this gauntlet of institutionalization, recounting their lives through letters, notes, and firsthand accounts. Across both volumes, these harrowing journeys of injustice, tragedy, and resilience will astonish you, revealing voices that echo from a dark chapter in history.
The Exeter Girls series tells the true stories of women committed to Rhode Island’s infamous Ladd School for the ‘feeble-minded.’ Through letters and firsthand accounts from the early 20th century, each volume reveals the hidden lives and struggles of women facing isolation, prejudice, and institutional control. These powerful narratives illuminate a history kept in the shadows, challenging our perceptions of mental health care and women’s rights. Exeter Girls invites readers to bear witness to lives once silenced—and to honor voices that echo across generations.
Excellent read. Highly Recommend! Eye opening on how things were back then.
This book helps the reader feel what these unfortunate women suffered. A must read for anyone in mental health care.
Loved this book. Its so great to read about history. The stories are real and vivid.
This book took me into the minds of the doctors… Very good read for anyone into asylum life.
The degree the superintendent… controlled a patient's life astonishes me. What a shameful past we have!