Description
The Lives They Left Behind is a deeply moving testament to the human side of mental illness, and of the narrow margin which so frequently separates the sane from the mad. This is a remarkable portrait, too, of the life of a psychiatric asylumsuch a community in which, for better and for worse, hundreds of thousands of people lived out their lives. Darby Penney and Peter Stastny’s careful historical (almost archaeological) and biographical reconstructions give us unique insight into these lives which would another way be lost and, indeed, not possible to the rest of us.” Oliver Sacks
Fascinating. . . . The haunting thing about the suitcase owners is that it’s so easy to identify with them.” Newsweek
When Willard State Hospital closed its doors in 1995, after operating as one of New York State’s largest mental institutions for over 120 years, a forgotten attic filled with suitcases belonging to former patients was discovered. The usage of the possessions found in these suitcases together with institutional records and doctors’ notes from patient sessions, Darby Penney, a leading advocate of patients’ rights, and Peter Stastny, a psychiatrist and documentary filmmaker, were able to reconstruct the lives of ten patients who resided at Willard all over the first half of the twentieth century.
The Lives They Left Behind tells their story. Along with these human portraits, the book contains over 100 photographs in addition to valuable historical background on how this state-funded institution operated. As it restores the humanity of the individuals it so poignantly evokes, The Lives They Left Behind reveals the vast historical inadequacies of a psychiatric system that has yet to heal itself.
Fascinating. . . . The haunting thing about the suitcase owners is that it’s so easy to identify with them.” Newsweek
When Willard State Hospital closed its doors in 1995, after operating as one of New York State’s largest mental institutions for over 120 years, a forgotten attic filled with suitcases belonging to former patients was discovered. The usage of the possessions found in these suitcases together with institutional records and doctors’ notes from patient sessions, Darby Penney, a leading advocate of patients’ rights, and Peter Stastny, a psychiatrist and documentary filmmaker, were able to reconstruct the lives of ten patients who resided at Willard all over the first half of the twentieth century.
The Lives They Left Behind tells their story. Along with these human portraits, the book contains over 100 photographs in addition to valuable historical background on how this state-funded institution operated. As it restores the humanity of the individuals it so poignantly evokes, The Lives They Left Behind reveals the vast historical inadequacies of a psychiatric system that has yet to heal itself.
&url=https://www.communityconnection.us/product/sears-house-designs-of-the-thirties-dover-architecture/&media=https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51sPungdKxL._SS1024_.jpg){kind=link}
, Burgundy&url=https://www.communityconnection.us/product/lorren-home-trends-57-piece-mabel-bone-china-dinnerware-set-service-for-8-people-burgundy/&media=https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41AimBATwpL._SS1024_.jpg){kind=link}
, Gold&url=https://www.communityconnection.us/product/lorren-home-trends-57-piece-chloe-bone-china-dinnerware-set-service-for-8-people-gold/&media=https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41vAh7TCsTL._SS1024_.jpg){kind=link}
, Amber&url=https://www.communityconnection.us/product/gibson-elite-ocean-paradise-square-dinnerware-set-service-for-4-16pcs-amber/&media=https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/416%2B-aF7XVL._SS1024_.jpg){kind=link}
&url=https://www.communityconnection.us/product/pfaltzgraff-french-lace-white-dinnerware-set-32-piece/&media=https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41Exlads5TL._SS1024_.jpg){kind=link}
