This is a memoir written by Nellie Bly, a female journalist in the late 19th century. The book chronicles her experiences after being committed to Blackwell's Island asylum under the pseudonym Nellie Brown. Bly's mission was to reveal the treatment of patients and the methods of management within the asylum. The book provides a raw and unvarnished account of her ten days in the asylum, shedding light on the mistreatment and abuse of patients.