Cold Storage

by Wendell Rawls Jr.

"COLD STORAGE is a story of Man's inhumanity to man in an extreme environment where the patients have no rights, no respect and no support. This book is a powerful reminder to us of how far we must go in order to stop the warehousing of human beings in institutions where degradation replace a commitment to rehabilitation and basic decency." --Senator Edward M. Kennedy

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology

255 pages, Hardcover

First published February 26, 1980

Reviews

[CTEP]

Cold Storage is a book about the history of the mental health field, but more specifically about one hospital for the “criminally insane” in Pennsylvania that was shut down in 1977. I find books that talk to me about the struggles of other really affect the way I think when I work with people at my site. I have several who were in mental hospitals; though for less than several months each, back in the 70s and 80s. This book was the story of multiple patients lives after being locked up, some for decades, for seemingly simple or minor crimes and were then in a way almost tortured until the hospital was exposed for what it was by a former patient, which there were few of, and newspaper reporter.

In this book not all of the main characters survived to see the hospital exposed and changed into a hospital. Many were killed as the results of beatings by guards or in organized fights, between the inmates, which were set up by guards. Losers almost always died and winners sometimes did as well. Guards decided which patients needed more medication to become more docile and a place that was supposed to be a psychiatric hospital has no psychiatrist at all on staff. It’s hard to read and it’s terrifying that these things have happened in real life to real people. In truth the life that some of these people were forced to leave for crimes that some of them were never even tried for or convicted of is really only a few small steps above a life of pure torture.

I recommend this book to those working in public service. I also understand that this story is a bit outdated but the truth is we are still working with people every day that may have been subjected to things like this. One of the most important parts of working with people for me is to be able to connect with them, even the grumpy and annoying ones. The best way I know to do that is to be able to empathize with their lives and their struggles. Once I can empathize and begin to imagine their life it’s much easier to deal with their quirks and the things about some of them that make them difficult to work with. I believe that our daily interactions with everyone would be very different if before each we had to watch a 15 minute video about each person we interacts with life and struggles. If we could see that the cashier at the grocery store who was working so slow works 3 jobs, and has been mentally abused by her family for years, and has a learning disorder that has never been diagnosed we wouldn’t roll our eyes quite so much. That is what this book is for me. It’s a way to deal with my schizophrenic client who doesn’t trust anyone and is afraid the lab is bugged during lessons. If I were in his shoes and had dealt not only with his illness but with any number of treatments his 65 years of life has exposed him too maybe I would be paranoid as well, and that helps me be more reassuring and redirect him back to the work instead of rolling my eyes and wishing he would just focus.

[Joe Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

haunting book. have to keep reminding yourself it really happened.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t say I liked the book. With the subject matter, really how could you? As an eye opener to the callousness, corruption and evil that permeates our institutions from top to bottom WOW. The fact that this went on relatively in the vicinity of where I live just makes it more disgusting. WTH is wrong with people?!?

[marcy peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book