Stranger and Traveler: The Story of Dorothea Dix, American Reformer

by Dorothy Clarke Wilson

The life and accomplishments of Dorothea Dix as humanitarian, crusader, and woman are explored

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, American

360 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1975

About the author

Dorothy Clarke Wilson (May 9, 1904 – March 26, 2003) was an American writer, perhaps best known for her novel Prince of Egypt (1949), which was a primary source for the Cecil B. DeMille film, The Ten Commandments (1956).

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Christie]

I have heard a lot about Dorothea Dix, her nursing, and her activism on behalf of mentally ill people, but I learned so much more about her in this book. She was a teacher and a writer. She was extremely sickly, but did not let that slow her down and she lived quite a long life. Known as "Dragon Dix" by many of her contemporaries, she fought to make sure that everyone, from wounded soldiers to people suffering from mental illness to poor children, got the care and the life they deserved.

This book begins with a heavily fictionalized look at Dix's childhood, which I wasn't a huge fan of, but the rest of the book is based on primary sources and research, which worked well. There is a lot of good stuff here and the book never seems to drag, but moves at a decent pace through Dix's life. There are plenty of photos and paintings included in the book which really help with bringing the biography to life. The only real complaint I have about the book, is I'm not sure how complete the picture it paints of Dix is. Though the author hints at some of the more draconian things she did that did not make her friends, she doesn't really go into depth and seems to be more on the side of always making Dix look good.

Overall, I learned a lot from this book and would recommend it to those wanting to learn more Dorothea Dix and her life.