Governor Oglesby was not required to act on the findings of the investigative committee and planned to keep them under wraps until the next meeting of the Illinois General Assembly.

Governor Oglesby was not required to act on the findings of the investigative committee and planned to keep them under wraps until the next meeting of the Illinois General Assembly. What motivated him to keep the report under wraps? Do you think modern politicians play the same games with important information (or decisions)?

2. The book explores the power of rumor and reputation. Even though Elizabeth is declared sane, rumors persist about her sanity for the rest of her life and were used to discredit her. Can you think of any modern-day examples where, even though someone has been cleared of something, their opponents continue to use that something against them? Do you think this is “fair game”? or is it morally wrong? 

3. How did Elizabeth’s status as a women, mother and asylum patient both help and hinder her lobbying efforts? How did she use men’s expectations of her to bolster her causes? 

4. Which of Elizabeth’s many accomplishments do you think she was most proud of? Is there anything else you see as her greatest achievement? 

5. Elizabeth writes: “To be lost to reason is a greater misfortune than to be lost to virtue, and the… score which the world attaches to it [is] greater.” Do you think this is still true today? The American Psychological Association recently stated that only 25 percent of adults with symptoms of mental illness believe that people will be caring and sympathetic toward them. How can we improve sympathy for those that struggle with their mental health? And which do you think carries more societal shame: having a mental health problem or being “lost to virtue”? Is the answer dependent on gender?