Customer Reviews

Betsy: The Dramatic Biography of Prison Reformer Elizabeth Fry

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This biography of prison reformer Elizabeth Fry was an eye-opening account of a woman far ahead of her time. I can't imagine what it was like for her, in the early 19th century, to descend into "the hell" of Newgate Gaol, specifically for the purpose of understanding and sympathizing with the female prisoners held there under horrendously awful conditions - but Hatton's dramatic descriptions helped to bring it all to life. Betsy began a one-woman campaign to convince the judicial system that a more humane approach was not only valid, but entirely necessary. Fighting against her own personal physical illnesses, the disdain of those who refused to see things her way, the difficulties of long-distance travel, and the closed-minded attitudes of her day, she continued on with determination and fortitude and a firm belief in the importance of her task. A fascinating journey, a well-written story, and an enjoyable read.

Reviewer Carolyn R Scheidies

Born a Quaker in a fairly well-to-do home in England, Betsy could have lived a life of leisure. But, despite her ill health, a tendency toward depression, fear and doubt, she felt a call on her life and persisted in that call at a time women were supposed to be seen, not heard.

She quietly, and not always so quietly, began to reach out to those less fortunate, helping the poor and down-and-out. She really made waves when she entered the notorious Newgate Prison and by sheer determination and persistence, changed the way a society viewed punishment, prisons, prisoners and reform. ...

But this book is far more than a simple biography. It is a graphic picture of 19th Century Europe, especially England. ...an invaluable resource for historians and authors. [..].