Acts of Conscience: World War II, Mental Institutions, and Religious Objectors (Critical Perspectives on Disability) [Hardcover]

Steven J. Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Series: Critical Perspectives on Disability | Publication Date: April 2009

In the mid- to late 1940s, a group of young men rattled the psychiatric establishment by beaming a public spotlight on the squalid conditions and brutality in our nation's mental hospitals and training schools for people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities. Bringing the abuses to the attention of newspapers and magazines across the country, they led a reform effort to change public attitudes and to improve the training and status of institutional staff. Prominent Americans, including Eleanor Roosevelt, ACLU founder Roger Baldwin, author Pearl S. Buck, actress Helen Hayes, and African-American activist Mary McLeod Bethune, supported the efforts of the young men.

These young men were among the 12,000 World War II conscientious objectors who chose to perform civilian public service as an alternative to fighting in what is widely regarded as America's "good war." Three thousand of these men volunteered to work at state institutions, where they found conditions appalling. Acting on conscience a second time, they challenged America's treatment of its citizens with severe disabilities. Acts of Conscience brings to light the extraordinary efforts of these courageous men, drawing upon extensive archival research, interviews, and personal correspondence.

The World War II conscientious objectors were not the first to expose public institutions, and they would not be the last. What distinguishes them from reformers of other eras is that their activities have faded from professional and popular memory. Steven J. Taylor's moving account is an indispensable contribution to the historical record.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steven J. Taylor is Centennial Professor of Disability Studies in the School of Education and codirector of the Center on Human Policy, Law, and Disability Studies at Syracuse University. He is the coauthor of In Search of the Promised Land and The Social Meaning of Mental Retardation: Two Life Stories, among other books. His articles have appeared in numerous journals, including Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, and Qualitative Sociology.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 484 pages
• Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr (Sd); 1 edition (April 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815609159
• ISBN-13: 978-0815609155
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of great men, May 6, 2009

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Susan Schweik "Susan Schweik" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Acts of Conscience: World War II, Mental Institutions, and Religious Objectors (Critical Perspectives on Disability) (Hardcover)

The men whose brave actions Steven Taylor traces give a new meaning to the phrase "the greatest generation." I'd love to see _Acts of Conscience_ adopted as the choice of colleges or towns that do those "on the same page" programs encouraging everyone to read and discuss the same book. We need moral exemplars like the ones Taylor remembers.