Why did I love this book?
I have a weakness for books written in the 1930s, and this one is intense and riveting, as well as historically educational.
It shows the contrast between the mental hospitals of the past and those of today through the eyes of the notorious William Seabrook, a real-life “Indiana Jones” and bestselling author of his time.
Seabrook commits himself to a posh mental asylum for alcoholism. After the DTs have passed, his impressions of his fellow inmates and his personal journey toward sobriety are chronicled.
Gut-wrenching, funny, smart, and honest - it’s a great read!
1 author picked Asylum as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
"Perhaps the most honest and haunting accounts of the struggle for mental health in literature." — Observer
This dramatic memoir recounts an eight-month stay at a Westchester mental hospital in the early 1930s. William Seabrook, a renowned journalist and explorer, voluntarily committed himself to an asylum for treatment of acute alcoholism. His sincere, self-critical appraisal of his experiences offers a highly interesting look at addiction and treatment in the days before Alcoholics Anonymous and other modern programs.
"Very few people could be as honest as Seabrook is here," noted The New York Times, "and it is honesty plus the talent…