Ten Days in a Mad House

Ten Days in a Mad-House tells the true story of Nellie Bly, the fearless young reporter who went undercover inside a New York insane asylum to reveal the horrors patients endured behind locked doors. Pretending to be mentally ill, Bly had herself committed to Blackwell's Island Asylum. For ten days, she witnessed the cold, hunger, intimidation, neglect, and abuse suffered by women who had little hope of being believed. Her reporting shocked the public, sparked reform, and helped define the future of investigative journalism. More than a historical curiosity, Bly's account remains urgent, disturbing, and deeply human. It is a story about courage, institutional power, women's voices, and the cost of telling the truth. This edition is designed for comfortable reading while preserving the force and immediacy of Bly's original work.