6/21/2023 0 Comments Damnation island by stacy horn“Referred to as the ‘poor men’s courts,’ the six police courts operated like conveyor belts of sorrow. Rather than simply describing the horrific conditions of the island, for instance, the author eloquently chronicles how someone might end up there: Many of her chapters include minute details that a less-conscientious writer might have dismissed as unimportant. And it’s clear Horn has done extensive research that enriches her book immensely. Unfortunately, Horn’s writing style can be choppy and distracts from what should be a compelling narrative.īlackwell’s Island, where the city of New York housed its poor, criminal, and insane during much of the 1800s, represents a dark and relatively unknown part of this country’s attempts to help - or shunt aside - its most damaged citizens. The tale of New York politicians’, philanthropists’, and physicians’ attempts to address the city’s growing poverty and crime reads like something out of a horror novel, and it’s certainly a book you should consider if you’re a history buff. There’s no other way to put it: The subject matter of Stacy Horn’s newest book, Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad & Criminal in 19th-Century New York, is chilling.
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