Real Lives Book Club Des Moines

We will finalize the location for meeting closer to the event. Keep your eyes posted here for updates or contact me at sherry@storiedgifts.com

From the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Radium Girls comes another dark and dramatic but ultimately uplifting tale of a forgotten woman hero whose inspirational journey sparked lasting change for women's rights and exposed injustices that still resonate today.

"Moore has written a masterpiece of nonfiction."―Nathalia Holt, New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls
Discover the powerful and untold true story of resilience, advocacy, and the fight for women's rights in The Woman They Could Not Silence by acclaimed author Kate Moore. This gripping and meticulously researched narrative shines a light on the remarkable journey of Elizabeth Packard, a pioneering woman whose indomitable spirit challenged the confines of her time.

In the mid-19th century, Elizabeth Packard found herself trapped in an unjust world, silenced by a society that deemed her opinions and intellect unworthy. Braving the confines of an oppressive mental asylum, Elizabeth defied all odds as she fought for her freedom and the rights of countless other women confined against their will. With relentless determination, she became a voice that resonated across the nation, igniting a movement for change.

The Woman They Could Not Silence is a triumphant tale of resilience, challenging the status quo, and the enduring power of the human spirit. Moore's meticulous research and rich historical detail bring Elizabeth Packard's story to life, painting a vivid portrait of a woman who defied society's expectations and paved the way for future generations.

Praise for The Woman They Could Not Silence:
"Like Radium Girls, this volume is a page-turner."―Library Journal, STARRED review

"A veritable tour de force about how far women's rights have come and how far we still have to go...Put this book in the hands of every young feminist."―Booklist, STARRED review

"In Moore's expert hands, this beautifully-written tale unspools with drama and power, and puts Elizabeth Packard on the map at the most relevant moment imaginable. You will be riveted―and inspired. Bravo!"―Liza Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of Code Girls

We will finalize the location for meeting closer to the event. Keep your eyes posted here for updates or contact me at sherry@storiedgifts.com

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile comes the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the cunning serial killer who used the magic and majesty of the fair to lure his victims to their death.

“As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find.” —San Francisco Chronicle

Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.

Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium.

Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.

The Devil in the White City draws the reader into the enchantment of the Guilded Age, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.