Several books have been written on the history of the actual buildings of Parkside Asylum, but little is known about the wretched people who were confined within its walls. Author Sandy Bayley nee Williams seeks to shed light on such matters, so she writes a vivid picture of the asylum as a human warehouse where dignity and humanity were largely forgotten. "If Asylum Walls Could Speak" (published by Xlibris AU) is Bayley's light-hearted take on an otherwise grim tale associated with mental institutions.
Fifty years of the author's work as a mental health nurse have gifted her with hilarious stories, interspersed with the changes in the way people relate to mental health patients and their treatment, to share. Bayley says that they have come from being a tight knit community where patients were accepted and each had a purpose in life, to a top heavy hierarchy in a clinical environment where nobody seems to know who's who anymore. The changes to mental health treatment over 50 years are all told with no holds barred in a light hearted and humorous way.
"Mental illness has an entrenched stigma attached to it and I hope to dispel some of the myths and show that mental illness is not something to fear," Bayley on her book's unique take on the subject of mental illness. "Sometimes, there is a funny side to madness but we laugh with our patients, not at them."
The accurate details and the candid way of the author's narrative create a different picture of how the media usually depicts mental institutions. "If Asylum Walls Could Speak" is a heartwarming picture and celebration of humanity over the insanity that seeks to enslave them.
"If Asylum Walls Could Speak"
By Sandy Bayley nee Williams
Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 274 pages | ISBN 9781503506756
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 274 pages | ISBN 9781503506749
E-Book | 274 pages | ISBN 9781503506732
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Born in the UK and emigrated with her family in 1960, Sandy Bayley nee Williams and her husband Bill have two daughters and five grandchildren. Sandy still works full-time at Glenside hospital with a career in mental health now spanning over 50 years.
Xlibris Publishing Australia, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider dedicated to serving Australian authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles.For more information, visit xlibrispublishing.com.au or call 1800 455 039 to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisAus on Twitter for the latest news.
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