Madwomen of Meriweather — Gail E. Haley

Original illustrations by Gail E. Haley, winner of the Caldecott and Kate Greenaway Medals. Blanche is snatched from her husband and young child and taken to a state asylum for the insane. Her hopes for rescue are dashed when she discovers her husband Earle had her committed and declared her dead. Has the death of her newborn indeed driven Blanche to madness or is her ordeal part of Earle's plot to steal her inheritance? Blanche's redemption begins with her assignment to organize the new asylum library. At the same time she entertains her fellow inmates with experiences of fabulous meals and winged trips through the air and watches over her small daughter in the consciousness of birds. Are these supportive fantasies or delusions? Or are these experiences real? Earle's dark secrets eventually come to light and Blanche triumphs, but not without a tragedy that costs her a friend and champion. Inspiration for the story comes from the records of a North Carolina insane asylum in the 1920s. Reviews of works by Gail E. Haley: “Dramatic tale of love and its triumph over greed and wickedness. She embroiders rich imagery into both her prose and … illustrations, which work beautifully with the text.” -- New York Times Book Review (Birdsong) “lucid, vibrant voice … use of metaphor, hyperbole and dialect captures the playful spirit of mountain lore. -- Publishers Weekly (Mountain Jack Tales) “Compelling story.” -- Lauren Peterson, Booklist (Two Bad Boys) “The author's prose style, essentially realistic but lightly infused with mysticism, subtly evokes a paradise lost,” -- Publishers Weekly (Two Bad boys: A Very Old Cherokee Tale)