Gracefully Insane: Life and Death Inside America's Premier Mental Hospital
Alex Beam'sGracefully Insaneis a knowledgeable historical  portrait of New England's McLean Hospital, until recently the mental institution  equivalent of the Plaza Hotel. Fenceless and unguarded, McLean's grounds were  landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted. Amenities included tennis courts, a golf  course, room service, and a riding stable. As one director said, "If you don't  know where you are, then you're in the right place." Its patients have included  James Taylor, Robert Lowell, and Ray Charles. It also looms large inThe Bell  JarandGirl, Interrupted, written by former patients Sylvia Plath  and Susanna Kaysen. Beam weaves patients' and employees' stories with an  informal review of mental health treatments through the years, including  lobotomies, insulin-induced comas, ice-water baths, and a ghastly device called  the "coercion chair."Gracefully Insaneis amiable, lively, and honest.  Its many anecdotes (derived from patient records, journals, and interviews) are  by turns poignant, humorous, and unsettling.--H. O'Billovitch--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.