Gracefully Insane

The Rise and Fall of America's Premier Mental Hospital

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Psychology, History, Medical, Reference
Cover of the book Gracefully Insane by Alex Beam, PublicAffairs
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alex Beam ISBN: 9780786750368
Publisher: PublicAffairs Publication: July 21, 2009
Imprint: PublicAffairs Language: English
Author: Alex Beam
ISBN: 9780786750368
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Publication: July 21, 2009
Imprint: PublicAffairs
Language: English

Its landscaped ground, chosen by Frederick Law Olmsted and dotted with Tudor mansions, could belong to a New England prep school. There are no fences, no guards, no locked gates. But McLean Hospital is a mental institution-one of the most famous, most elite, and once most luxurious in America. McLean "alumni" include Olmsted himself, Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, James Taylor and Ray Charles, as well as (more secretly) other notables from among the rich and famous. In its "golden age," McLean provided as genteel an environment for the treatment of mental illness as one could imagine. But the golden age is over, and a downsized, downscale McLean-despite its affiliation with Harvard University-is struggling to stay afloat. Gracefully Insane, by Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam, is a fascinating and emotional biography of McLean Hospital from its founding in 1817 through today. It is filled with stories about patients and doctors: the Ralph Waldo Emerson protégé whose brilliance disappeared along with his madness; Anne Sexton's poetry seminar, and many more. The story of McLean is also the story of the hopes and failures of psychology and psychotherapy; of the evolution of attitudes about mental illness, of approaches to treatment, and of the economic pressures that are making McLean-and other institutions like it-relics of a bygone age.

This is a compelling and often oddly poignant reading for fans of books like Plath's The Bell Jar and Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted (both inspired by their author's stays at McLean) and for anyone interested in the history of medicine or psychotherapy, or the social history of New England.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Its landscaped ground, chosen by Frederick Law Olmsted and dotted with Tudor mansions, could belong to a New England prep school. There are no fences, no guards, no locked gates. But McLean Hospital is a mental institution-one of the most famous, most elite, and once most luxurious in America. McLean "alumni" include Olmsted himself, Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, James Taylor and Ray Charles, as well as (more secretly) other notables from among the rich and famous. In its "golden age," McLean provided as genteel an environment for the treatment of mental illness as one could imagine. But the golden age is over, and a downsized, downscale McLean-despite its affiliation with Harvard University-is struggling to stay afloat. Gracefully Insane, by Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam, is a fascinating and emotional biography of McLean Hospital from its founding in 1817 through today. It is filled with stories about patients and doctors: the Ralph Waldo Emerson protégé whose brilliance disappeared along with his madness; Anne Sexton's poetry seminar, and many more. The story of McLean is also the story of the hopes and failures of psychology and psychotherapy; of the evolution of attitudes about mental illness, of approaches to treatment, and of the economic pressures that are making McLean-and other institutions like it-relics of a bygone age.

This is a compelling and often oddly poignant reading for fans of books like Plath's The Bell Jar and Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted (both inspired by their author's stays at McLean) and for anyone interested in the history of medicine or psychotherapy, or the social history of New England.

More books from PublicAffairs

Cover of the book Common Nonsense by Alex Beam
Cover of the book What Dying People Want by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Science Left Behind by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Empire of Illusion by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Defending Identity by Alex Beam
Cover of the book We Believe the Children by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Unsubscribe by Alex Beam
Cover of the book A People's History of Science by Alex Beam
Cover of the book No One at the Wheel by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Dread by Alex Beam
Cover of the book America Between the Wars by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Thatcher's Trial by Alex Beam
Cover of the book More Noble Than War by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Moscow, December 25, 1991 by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Quirky by Alex Beam
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy