My incredible heroine was found accidentally in the introduction to a textbook. The small mention of the sickly woman who altered life for the mentally ill wouldn't leave my mind, and I researched Dorothea Dix obsessively--only to discover much of her story is unknown (I took license in imagining some characters and feelings!). Dorothea's courage to show her voice provided asylums, hospitals, and prison reform--changes unbelievable for a woman in the 1800s. Struggling with depression and anxiety myself, which Dix was rumored to have too, I am indebted to the woman brave enough to speak for the mistreated mentally ill.
