{"product_id":"the-lives-they-left-behind-darby-penney-9781934137147","title":"The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe acclaimed portrait of institutionalized patients whose abandoned possessions recall their forgotten lives\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A deeply moving testament to the human side of mental illness.\" -\u003cb\u003eOliver Sacks\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Willard State Hospital closed its doors in 1995, after operating as one of New York State's largest mental institutions for over 120 years, a forgotten attic filled with suitcases belonging to former patients was discovered. Using the possessions found in these suitcases along with institutional records and doctors' notes from patient sessions, Darby Penney, a leading advocate of patients' rights, and Peter Stastny, a psychiatrist and documentary filmmaker, were able to reconstruct the lives of ten patients who resided at Willard during the first half of the twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Lives They Left Behind\u003c\/i\u003e tells their story. In addition to these human portraits, the book contains over 100 photographs as well as valuable historical background on how this state-funded institution operated. As it restores the humanity of the individuals it so poignantly evokes, \u003ci\u003eThe Lives They Left Behind\u003c\/i\u003e reveals the vast historical inadequacies of a psychiatric system that has yet to heal itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Darby Penney, Peter Stastny\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1934137146\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781934137147\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bellevue Literary Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/01\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 208\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.70lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.60d","brand":"Darby Penney","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44051039125759,"sku":"9781934137147","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_4ac3b99f-59c7-4f5b-8ad2-1d84db585c31.jpg?v=1685010724","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-lives-they-left-behind-darby-penney-9781934137147","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}