Kate Moore's "The Woman They Could Not Silence" is a masterful narrative of one woman's courageous battle against societal constraints. This compelling true story explores the indomitable spirit of Elizabeth Packard, a woman silenced and institutionalized for challenging 19th-century norms. Moore's meticulous research brings to life Packard's resilience and the broader fight for women's rights. With eloquent prose, Moore paints a vivid picture of a historical injustice, inspiring readers with a tale of strength and determination. "The Woman They Could Not Silence" is an empowering journey that resonates long after the final chapter. Moore's storytelling is both poignant and powerful.

A couple of years ago I read Radium Girls by this same author and loved it, so when I heard that this one was coming out, I knew that I had to pick up a copy. The narrator did such a great job bringing this story to life, and I'm honestly not sure I would have gotten through it if I was reading the physical book (simply because of its length alone). That being said, this read was riveting and inspirational as it tells the story of a woman who did so much for women's rights. Moore has a talent for bringing stories like these to life and I highly recommend it.

I received an audiobook copy from the publisher through Netgalley for an honest review.

This book was spectacular and so informative. This is a non-fiction book written about Mrs. Elizabeth Packard, who not only helped to change women's rights, but also changed hugely how people are and were treated in asylums. I had only heard of her in passing from time to time before, however, I am so glad that I got to really know her story. This extraordinary book does not feel like some slow, monotonous nonfiction history book. This reads like a novel with how it keeps ones attention throughout and is so fascinating. I especially love the postscript where the author points out that what Mrs. Packard endured and the names she was called in the 1860s, has not changed much in many ways with women now in modern times. This was a powerful and important historical novel for women's rights and for anyone who knows they need to stand up, not only for themselves, but to make a proper change.

Kate Moore in my mind has joined Kate Quinn in being a fantastic author to bring to life badass women of the past. In The Woman They Could Not Silence we learn about Elizabeth Packard. One of many women who were institutionalized because they were strong women.

I want to thank these women that paved the way for woman to break glass ceilings and continue to rise. To imagine that there was a time period that my husband could have me sent to an asylum for years for disagreeing with his religion is unfathomable to me.

The pacing of this book is by no means fast, but that I think, is to be expected. We get to see Mrs. Packard through several time frames in her life and learn so much about the battles she waged and won. As a mother I felt for her in her separation from her children. As a human I felt for her in her fight to keep her sanity in inhumage conditions and amidst non-stop gaslighting.

If you want appreciation for the strong women of our past and they fights they fought so we could be where we are today pick this one up and read it.

DNF. Unfortunately, this was a book I started multiple times but could just not get into. I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, it was just not a good fit for me as a reader. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

This nonfiction book tells an incredible story of Elizabeth Packard, who, in 1860s, became a pioneer for married women's rights. After 21 years of marriage, Elizabeth started to voice her own religious opinions, which did not align with those of her older and old-fashioned husband, who was a church minister. How dare she did not agree with what he was teaching? She mush have been insane, so her husband thought and committed her to an asylum. And this was just the beginning of this inspirational story about one's quest for justice...

I really enjoyed this book: it was well written and very well researched. I didn't know about Elizabeth Packard's story and I am very glad that I read this book and addressed that gap in my knowledge. The story is indeed amazing.

Albeit a very good book, I found the writing stile to be a bit overdramatized and bombastic. In addition, while it started very promising, half way the pace slowed down and the narrative became somewhat monotonous. Personally, if the book was edited to be shorter, I think it would be a more succinct and captivating telling of Elizabeth's life. Nonetheless, I would still recommend thsi book to anyone interested in history.

As history becomes more accessible and less secretive, more information comes out about how women have been silenced (or not) throughout the years and this novel is a great compilation of the stories of these fantastic women over the ages who have done all they can to change history in their own ways.

I usually struggle with both audiobooks and non-fiction, but this one hooked me. I really enjoyed the content and felt like the narrator did a great job.

This was an incredibly difficult listen -- so painful to hear what Elizabeth had to endure. But I'm so thankful for women like Elizabeth Packard who fought for women's rights and mental health awareness, so that I (a married woman) can earn my own money, and don't have to worry about my husband incarcerating me in an asylum if I disagree with him.

This was a very powerful book that taught me a lot. There were parts that dragged for me, but overall I found this book very informative and intriguing. I knew about the lack of rights that married women had in the 19th century, but I was unaware of what implications that lack of rights could lead to. Elizabeth endured years without her own biological children, and tirelessly fought the entire time for not only her rights but the rights of other women who were unjustly put into asylums. The author also added an air of creepiness to the asylum portions, which I enjoyed. I was pleasantly surprised by the author as the narrator. Usually I find that authors do not do the best job with narrating their own books, but Kate Moore has a wonderfully pleasant voice that allowed the information to feel more accessible to the listener. A long read, but definitely a recommended one.

I received an advance copy of The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore in both audio and digital form from Blackstone publishers and Sourcebooks through Netgalley

CW: Forced Institutionalization, Mistreatment of Patients, Abuse of the Mentally Ill, Sexism.

What It’s About: Elizabeth Packard is a wife and mother of six in 1860, when she begins to share her opinions on religion and her husband feeling threatened, declares she is insane and puts her in an institution for the insane. Her harrowing journey from abused woman to abused patient to advocate to freed woman and back a few times is documented in this book.

What I Love: Kate Moore is a talented scholar. She present’s Elizabeth Packard as a woman who was fighting for women’s rights prior to when most people think the book began. If anyone has ever read the Yellow Wallpaper or other fictional accounts of women being made to be viewed as unstable if they were not a perfect woman. This story is actually really quite inspiring and I think a lot of people will learn from this book. The way women in this country have been and are treated is appalling and this book really does bring light to a lot of that.

What I Didn’t Love: Honestly I thought it was a bit dense. It was hard to listen to, this book is loaded in details and quotes from primary documents. It is an in depth exploration of Packard’s life and at times it truly was just too much for me. I think this might be because I have the opposite problem of others with audio, I usually do better with fiction. Additionally, I thought that this book was very repetitive and that certain parts just seemed to keep coming up, to be fair, I actually think that Elizabeth just kept going through the same thing in the same pattern over and over but it got a bit repetitive and maybe stylistically could have been done better. That said, it is a history so this should be taken with a grain of salt.

Who Should Read This: People who love well researched and detailed histories. People who want to learn more about the abuses women faced pre-women’s right.

Quick Summary: A woman forcibly institutionalized becomes a leading advocate for the rights of women and the mentally ill.

The Woman They Could Not Silence starts off strong, but then becomes convoluted with too many characters' perspectives. As the twisty plot continues, the story becomes more difficult to follow. The addition of additional characters' voices toward the end detract from the main story and are not necessary to carry the plot forward.

Elizabeth Packard is someone every woman should know about. If you’ve ever used your voice to stand up for something or someone. If you have ever expressed your opinion. If you can worship whatever religion you want. For these reasons and more you should be grateful to have been born in the 1900s or 2000s and that you can’t just be sent to an asylum for standing up for your beliefs or disagreeing with your husband.

In 1860, Theophilus, husband of twenty-one years to Elizabeth Packard, decides that his wife is getting a bit too intelligent and outspoken. So, without any other corroboration or reason beyond her husband saying she was insane, Elizabeth Packard was committed to an asylum in Illinois. Thanks to detailed journal writing and a book, written by Elizabeth herself, Kate Moore was able to provide readers with a detailed account of Elizabeth’s horrific years in the asylum.

Elizabeth Packard can’t believe how easy it was for her husband to have her committed and upon her arrival, she finds numerous other women and wives, also committed by their husbands. She assumes she will only be there for a few days but when she sadly realizes she will not be going home anytime soon, she sets off on a mission to make sure this doesn’t happen to any more women in the future. She was frequently punished for her outspokenness and for helping other women in the ward. After witnessing deplorable conditions on certain wards, she decided to not only fight for women’s rights outside of the asylum but also for those inside, demanding better care for women. Her months of bathing women that hadn’t been bathed, washing their sheets, combing their hair only to start the cycle back over again when she finished the last woman brought me to tears. She put her own needs aside to offer a bit of love and kindness to women who had basically been thrown away by their families.

I listened to this on audio and whether you read or listen to the narration, it’s heavy and I had to take frequent breaks. But, this is a story that needs to be heard. I can’t imagine what life would be like for women if Elizabeth Packard hadn’t been so determined to go against the doctor and director of the hospital she was admitted to as well as to fight her husband for custody of their children. The ending is quite remarkable and her resilience amazed me. Kate Moore’s research was impeccable and her attention to detail made this narrative non-fiction gripping and emotional. Thanks to her, Elizabeth Packard’s story has reached those of us who had never heard her story.

This biographical account of Elizabeth Packard's life and experiences in the Jacksonville Asylum, how she fought for her own rights and those of other women unfairly institutionalized and mistreated, and how she got out. The book is both horrifying and enthralling. Horrifying because this is a true account of how men so callously treated women who dared to think for themselves and how those very same men believed that women lacked the intellectual capacity to think independently. Therefore, any woman who, like Packard, displayed independent thought, must have been insane and had to be subdued by any means necessary. Enthralling because Elizabeth Packard's own words are quoted throughout, as she wrote her thoughts and observations prolifically and on whatever surface she could get her hands on. The book reads like a novel, and yet it is based purely on facts. Kate Moore narrates strongly and clearly, holding the reader's attention as much as the force of Elizabeth Packard's personality which shines throughout the entire book.

Another spectacular book from Kate Moore! As usual, her nonfiction reads and captivates exactly like fiction, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the author as an audiobook narrator.

OMG I loved this book! I listened to this book, read but the author, Kate Moore and it was a great listen. The Woman They Could Not Silence is an incredible story of determination and grit. Elizabeth Packard is a religious woman in 1860 who had the gall to not agree with everything her pastor husband preached from the pulpit. Since he had complete control over her at that time in history, he had her committed to an insane asylum in Illinois where, with the help of the supervisor there, was able to keep her locked up and away from her children for three long years.

But fear not, Elizabeth is a badass and there is much more to the story. Kate Moore does a wonderful job of taking us not only into Elizabeth's life but into her thoughts, interspersing her own words from diaries and letters. The laws of the day were all against women in favor of the total control by the husband or father, It can't help but bring to mind what women are still dealing with in some parts of the world.

Thanks must go to the real life Elizabeth who spent her life helping her "sisters" who needed her help and all those who still today are called "crazy" because their ideas are not the norm.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for this honest review.

The Woman they Could Not Silence tells the story of Elizabeth Packard, a housewife turned women’s right advocate who changed the legal landscape during the second half of the nineteenth century. As with her previous book, Radium Girls, Moore tells the largely forgotten story of legally sanctioned injustice against women in the United States.



In 1860, Elizabeth Packard was sent to an Illinois insane asylum after disagreeing with her pastor-husband on a matter of Protestant theology. After Packard refused to modify her behavior, her husband was able to have her institutionalized with the complicity of willing physicians. Packard herself was afforded no legal recourse being considered a non-entity as a married woman. Once an inmate at the Jacksonville Asylum, Packard experienced and observed abuses both physical and mental and became, even while still confined, an advocate for the unjustly confined and the mentally ill. Following her 1863 release, Packard continued her efforts to both secure her own safety (including testifying in a dramatic habeas corpus hearing) and that of other women by working to change the laws that denied married women the full rights of citizenship.



Even as someone who loves and studies history, I had never heard of Elizabeth Packard and appreciate Kate Moore’s efforts to not only tell her story, but to do so in such an engaging manner. The audiobook is very well done—the author does read the book well, though hearing this American story read with a British accent is initially disconcerting most particularly with the pronunciation of Elizabeth’s last name-- and is in several ways perhaps the perfect vehicle for the story. It is a long book—thorough and well researched—which can ( and I did see this in some reviews of the book) intimidate some readers particularly with nonfiction. The audiobook grabs the reader with the story it is trying to tell, though, propelling the reader into and through the story. The subjects of the book also truly come to life to such an extent as to elicit a deep emotional response from the listener whether from the almost comic book villain-like evil of people such as Dr. McFarland or from Elizabeth’s own sometimes cringe-worthy behavior. And for women today, this is an easy story to connect to. Moore herself identifies several parallels between Elizabeth’s story and recent events. While many American women today are thankfully spared abuse the type and extent of which Elizabeth suffered, I think a lot of female readers will feel a sense of recognition as they listen to Elizabeth story. In the end, that makes this book bittersweet—it lets us remember and celebrate a women’s rights crusader, but it also reminds us how far we still have to go.

I really enjoyed Moore's other books so I was very interested in this one especially since this is a subject I have always been interested in. Lucky for me Moore did not disappoint. She always amazes me with how much time and research she puts into her books. I always feel like I reading a story and not a historical account that was pieced together by a very talented and dedicated writer. The woman Moore chooses to write about are always fascinating but its her writing that really brings these stories back to life. This was another win for Moore and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Audiobook provided by NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I truly hope that somewhere in my academic life, I learned about Elizabeth Packard and that it's something I've just forgotten about. I remember learning about Nelly Bly and how she checked herself into an asylum in order to report on the horrible conditions people were living under. If I learned that, how could any teach not also talk about Packard? Yet none of this story rings a bell and that both infuriates me and breaks my heart.

Moore does a really good job of bringing Packard's story back to life for a new generation. While I'm generally hesitant when an author narrates their own audiobook, Moore does a great job with it. This book is fascinating... and educational.

This book will also piss you off. The things that women have been subjected to by the hands of men throughout history is, frankly, utter b.s. and the more I discover books telling the truths of women that are being forgotten, the angrier I get.

THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE is not an easy read... even if the reader is already aware of what was going on behind asylum walls during the time period. How Packard could remain in her right mind and continue to fight I'll never know or understand. But thank God that she did.

I am grateful to Moore for giving Packard space again so that she's not forgotten. Because the fight for equality still has a long way to go and maybe Elizabeth Packard can inspire a new generation of women to pick up her fight.

This is a unique look at the life of Elizabeth Packard and her impact on women's rights specifically in the mental health field. She heroically stood up for not only herself and her rights to be viewed as an individual, but also the other women who she met along the way while being unjustly hospitalized in a mental institute by her husband.