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Well Diary...I Have Tuberculosis: Researching a Teenager's 1918 Sanatorium Experience
Sixteen year old Evelyn Bellak kept a diary while hospitalized in 1918 as a patient with tuberculosis. The treatment regimen was called a "rest cure" because there were no antibiotics then. The diary, found in a library, is an impassioned account of both her illness and the social scene at the sanatorium, but it ends abruptly. Who was this girl and what happened to her? All of that has been a mystery until now.
- GenresHistory
132 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 28, 2020
I have always been fascinated by the tuberculosis epidemic. Probably shouldn’t be reading about this during the pandemic we are going through now but this is the non-fiction I picked out for April, ha.
This book was great and the thing I enjoyed the most was that it was written around a young girl’s diary. Diaries from history are great for learning more about how people were feeling or going through.
There were also photos included of Evelyn and her friends.
Sanatorium life wasn’t easy and it took you away from your family. It was a completely different life. I wouldn’t know how to feel if I was put into that position. I mean you would have to get used to it regardless. Could you imagine if something like this happened now?
There is definitely a conclusion to this and the author brought it around full circle and gave you a couple chapters about what she could find that Evelyn did after leaving.
Although this wasn’t my favorite book written about sanatorium life, I still loved it.
This book was great and the thing I enjoyed the most was that it was written around a young girl’s diary. Diaries from history are great for learning more about how people were feeling or going through.
There were also photos included of Evelyn and her friends.
Sanatorium life wasn’t easy and it took you away from your family. It was a completely different life. I wouldn’t know how to feel if I was put into that position. I mean you would have to get used to it regardless. Could you imagine if something like this happened now?
There is definitely a conclusion to this and the author brought it around full circle and gave you a couple chapters about what she could find that Evelyn did after leaving.
Although this wasn’t my favorite book written about sanatorium life, I still loved it.
November 5, 2025
Found this book after reading "Everything Is Tuberculosis" By John Green (he mentioned it in his book). My local library didn't have it but was very glad we had a partnership with other libraries across the country to get a copy. It came from the community college library in Saranac Lake, NY where this sanatorium was located. I thought going into the book it would be her actual diary, word from word. I was slightly disappointed at first when I picked it up. But as I started to read, I was happy the book was written out the way it was. The author did a great job writing about Evelyn and what background history she knew about this girl's life as she lived at the sanatorium and afterwards. The author also gave good side notes on different history topics. There was some old photos in there too. For a short 122 page read, this is a good book to (try and find) and check out.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews