Friday, December 14, 2018

Nonfiction Mini-Reviews: Women With Extraordinary Jobs

Sometimes Amazing Things Happen: Heartbreak and Hope on the Bellevue Hospital Psychiatric Prison Ward by Elizabeth Ford, MD (2017)

Dr. Elizabeth Ford is a psychiatrist who worked on the Bellevue Hospital psychiatric prison ward, treating mental illness in prisoners from New York's jails, including Riker's Island.  Sometimes Amazing Things Happen is a chronicle of her time on the ward; she shares stories of the patients she treated and the bureaucracy and red tape she was often caught up in.

This book definitely featured a lot of heartbreak.  The inmates have so much working against them.  They're in jail, waiting an indefinite amount of time to have their case heard, sometimes for a crime that was a result of their mental illness.  If they get transferred to Bellevue, they'll get treatment, but the downside is that as soon as they're "well," they're transferred back to prison where the guards don't know how to deal with them and they may or may not get their medications.  It's a vicious cycle.  A few chapters on how the hospital was affected by Superstorm Sandy were a stark reminder of the tangled web of the criminal justice system.  It really made me think about this lost population of men and how the system could be improved.

My issues with this book came from a couple different sides.  This book was really short, about 240 pages, and felt more like short stories than a cohesive narrative.  And unfortunately, I had issues with Dr. Ford herself; more than a few times I got the impression that she felt an air of superiority over everyone else.  She came across as seeming like she was the only one who cared about the patients, and the other doctors, nurses, and officers were overwhelmed, under-educated, and just unsympathetic.  I think it would have done her some good to realize the hard work and hours they also put in to this extremely difficult and often thankless job.  3.5 stars


The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts by Tessa Fontaine (2018)

After her mother suffers a massive stroke, Tessa Fontaine spends years in limbo - will her mother survive?  What will her life be like?  Then, her stepfather takes her mother on a dream trip to Italy, giving Tessa a few months to join a traveling sideshow, where she performed such acts as snake charmer and the Electric Woman.

I feel like this was two different books joined together only by the fact that the two events happened to take place at the same time.  On one hand, this was a book about mothers and daughters and the sometimes difficult relationship Tessa had with hers.  Reading about her mother's health issues felt almost invasive at times, but I think a lot of people will be able to relate to it.

On the other hand, this book is a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to work at a carnival/fair/circus/sideshow.  This part was probably more interesting to me, although it felt a bit repetitive at times.  It's not an enviable lifestyle - the hours are long, it's physically taxing, you're living in a tiny space with a lot of other people, cleaning your clothes in sinks.  However, I enjoyed learning about the different sideshow acts.  3.5 stars

12 comments:

  1. These topics both sound interesting to read about. I think it must be a very hard type of lifestyle as a performer of any kind, but especially a circus. I will have to keep an eye out for The Electric Woman.

    ReplyDelete
  2. They both sound a bit disappointing. The topic of the first one is interesting, but the author’s attitude would probably get on my nerves. Great reviews!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Aj! Yeah, I was hoping for a bit more with each.

      Delete
  3. These both sound interesting but maybe not pulled off the best way. The first book I think sounds more interesting to me but the authors tone/attitude sounds like it would bother me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely interesting topics, but yeah, the first one was not executed well.

      Delete
  4. These sound interesting, but I'm sorry to hear they weren't better reads for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I definitely learned things, but yeah, not favorites!

      Delete
  5. I am not sure I would like either of them. I like the prison aspect but know there is so much more that goes into that. The system is broken and has been for a long time. Weird Idk if I would read either.

    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  6. What interesting topics! I love books about jobs I don't much about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly! These definitely aren't jobs I think about every day, but it was so cool to learn about them.

      Delete

I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!