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Bylines: A Photobiography of Nellie Bly
Bylines is the latest title from award-winning biographer Sue Macy. Nellie Bly was a pioneering American journalist who lived by the belief that "Energy rightly applied and directed will accomplish anything." This credo took her from humble origins in Cochran’s Mill, Pennsylvania, a town named after her father, to the most exotic cities around the globe by the time she was 25.
Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in 1864, in an age when many women led unassuming lives. Her life would make people sit up and take When she wasn’t making history herself, she was writing about others who did. Rarely has anyone left a more detailed record of her place in the world than Nellie Bly. In a very public life, she shared her feelings and opinions through her writing and embraced the struggles of all classes of Americans who were fighting for their rights.
The story of the two decades before and after the turn of the 20th century was her story, and she wrote with a powerful pen. Her "stunt journalism" included getting herself committed to an insane asylum for women and circling the globe in a mere 72 days. She profiled leaders from Susan B. Anthony to Eugene V. Debs, exposed corruption, and offered her readers a travelogue that expanded their horizons, even as it made the world a little smaller.
Her words live on even now, and Sue Macy’s masterful biography invites young readers into Nellie Bly’s America, a country at a time of great growth and social change.
Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in 1864, in an age when many women led unassuming lives. Her life would make people sit up and take When she wasn’t making history herself, she was writing about others who did. Rarely has anyone left a more detailed record of her place in the world than Nellie Bly. In a very public life, she shared her feelings and opinions through her writing and embraced the struggles of all classes of Americans who were fighting for their rights.
The story of the two decades before and after the turn of the 20th century was her story, and she wrote with a powerful pen. Her "stunt journalism" included getting herself committed to an insane asylum for women and circling the globe in a mere 72 days. She profiled leaders from Susan B. Anthony to Eugene V. Debs, exposed corruption, and offered her readers a travelogue that expanded their horizons, even as it made the world a little smaller.
Her words live on even now, and Sue Macy’s masterful biography invites young readers into Nellie Bly’s America, a country at a time of great growth and social change.
64 pages, Library Binding
First published October 13, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
September 14, 2018
3.75 stars
A picture biography of Elizabeth Cochran, aka Nellie Bly. Short, but very informational,with numerous pictures. Well worth the read if interested in this early trail blazer.
A picture biography of Elizabeth Cochran, aka Nellie Bly. Short, but very informational,with numerous pictures. Well worth the read if interested in this early trail blazer.
September 11, 2011
A short an interesting biography of a woman I had never heard of before. Nellie Bly was one of the first female journalists to go undercover. She was adventurous yet also used her journalistic skills and connections to help others in need.
March 14, 2012
Highly readable, accompanied by intriguing photos and plenty of suggestions for further reading.
July 29, 2015
I liked the Childhood of Famous Americans book I read when I was like 9 better than this one. It just seemed flat. You could do an "Amazing Race" lesson based on her and Elizabeth Bisland, though. And her undercover reporting was remarkable.
August 24, 2022
I hated this book. Read it in fifth grade and still remember it by how boring it was. 🥰
February 24, 2017
I really liked this book. It was simple to read, which as a teacher, I think will be great for children to understand. I learned several interesting new facts about Nellie Bly, including that her penname was based on the song Nelly Bly, and that she was one of several children, and that her real name was Elizabeth Cochran, and she changed it to Cochrane when she attending school to become a teacher. She didn't start out as a reporter right away, she wrote a column based on the role of women in society, against another journalist who wrote about how women belong in the home. Her childhood nickname was Pinky, because her mother dressed her in a lot of pink, to make her stand out from other children who wore plain gray or brown clothing.
I found this was very interesting, and a great read for children looking for a through biography in order to a book report or a project on an interesting historical figure.
I found this was very interesting, and a great read for children looking for a through biography in order to a book report or a project on an interesting historical figure.
February 13, 2017
Very concise history of Nellie Bly's life and influence. Great period photos and list of resources for further study. Perfect for elementary and middle school students.
June 25, 2013
A Photobiography, perfect! Continuing on my picture book biographies journey this summer, I found this gem. The name Nellie Bly seemed vaguely familiar, but I really had no idea who she was. My husband thought she was a jazz singer, I thought maybe someone from the fateful Titanic. I was in about the right time period.
The fact is Nellie Bly was the pseudonym for Elizabeth Cochrane a ground-breaking female journalist at the turn-of-the-century (1900 not Y2K). She was a fascinating woman who had a heart for the down-trodden and a passion for improving her world. She worked as a journalist for Pittsburgh, New York and Chicago newspapers. She was known for her publicity stunts or firsthand, undercover reporting. We would call these embedded reporters today. Probably her most famous stunt was her trip around the world in 72 days. She set out to put life to Jules Verne's fictional "Around the World in Eighty Days" by making the same trip in less than 80 days.
This book was full of life and striking photos. So many great women went before to give us the freedoms we take for granted today. Elizabeth Cochrane (Nellie Bly) was one of them.
The fact is Nellie Bly was the pseudonym for Elizabeth Cochrane a ground-breaking female journalist at the turn-of-the-century (1900 not Y2K). She was a fascinating woman who had a heart for the down-trodden and a passion for improving her world. She worked as a journalist for Pittsburgh, New York and Chicago newspapers. She was known for her publicity stunts or firsthand, undercover reporting. We would call these embedded reporters today. Probably her most famous stunt was her trip around the world in 72 days. She set out to put life to Jules Verne's fictional "Around the World in Eighty Days" by making the same trip in less than 80 days.
This book was full of life and striking photos. So many great women went before to give us the freedoms we take for granted today. Elizabeth Cochrane (Nellie Bly) was one of them.
November 3, 2009
Recommended Ages: grades 4 and up
Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in 1864, in an age when many women led unassuming lives. Her life would make people sit up and take notice: When she wasn’t making history herself, she was writing about others who did. Rarely has anyone left a more detailed record of her place in the world than Nellie Bly. In a very public life, she shared her feelings and opinions through her writing and embraced the struggles of all classes of Americans who were fighting for their rights.
The story of the two decades before and after the turn of the 20th century was her story, and she wrote with a powerful pen. Her "stunt journalism" included getting herself committed to an insane asylum for women and circling the globe in a mere 72 days. She profiled leaders from Susan B. Anthony to Eugene V. Debs, exposed corruption, and offered her readers a travelogue that expanded their horizons, even as it made the world a little smaller.
Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in 1864, in an age when many women led unassuming lives. Her life would make people sit up and take notice: When she wasn’t making history herself, she was writing about others who did. Rarely has anyone left a more detailed record of her place in the world than Nellie Bly. In a very public life, she shared her feelings and opinions through her writing and embraced the struggles of all classes of Americans who were fighting for their rights.
The story of the two decades before and after the turn of the 20th century was her story, and she wrote with a powerful pen. Her "stunt journalism" included getting herself committed to an insane asylum for women and circling the globe in a mere 72 days. She profiled leaders from Susan B. Anthony to Eugene V. Debs, exposed corruption, and offered her readers a travelogue that expanded their horizons, even as it made the world a little smaller.
March 4, 2013
I adore Nellie Bly, and this book only increases my interest in my heroine. She watched her mother grow old in a horrible marriage and determined that wasn't for her. So, she becomes a newspaper reporter in the age where women were expected to fade to the background and be silent. However, Nellie decides instead to report on conditions in a notorious sanatorium by having herself committed. Later, she decides to break the record of traveling around the world by doing it all by herself, meeting Jules Verne and having all kinds of adventures. She was my idol when I read all of the biographies in the children's section of my library as a child, and she's my idol now.
March 12, 2010
I love discovering a new, real hero in a well-written biography. Nellie Bly lived an amazing life, writing exposes on social injustice for newspapers, traveling the world in less than 80 days back before flying was an option, supporting herself with her writing as an unmarried woman before women even had the right to vote. The one thing missing - more samples of Nellie's own writing.
April 1, 2010
What an amazing woman! Nellie Bly, aka Elizabeth Cochrane, changed the face of American journalism. She paved the way for future female journalists. Bylines... is terribly well-written. Pages of text are alternated with enormous (most bigger than 8 1/2 x 11) photographs. Children and adults will be captivated by Nellie's story.
August 1, 2010
This book goes a long way in educating the reader on Nellie Bly, myself included. It is a very thorough look into the the life of a little-known woman who opened MANY doors for women in the workplace. The photos were nice, as were the chronology, map of Bly's famous around the world trip, quotes, photos of realia from Bly's life, and the inclusion of her family history. Very good book.
March 11, 2013
This book was just a taste of a biography of this fabulous woman. Her life was an excellent example for young women who want to make a difference and have a career in journalism. I loved her courage to go into the insane asylum for women to do her expose of conditions. I need to read a longer version!
June 5, 2015
After listening to a podcast about Nellie Bly, I wanted to read a bit more about her. This children's book was the perfect thing! Short and concise with a lot of pictures! Nellie was a woman with a mission, trying hard to make life better for those less fortunate, as well as women in general. She was a real inspiration to me!
April 6, 2016
I thought this was a great short book about the well known American Newspaper writer Nellie Bly. I first came across her while I was in college and was fascinated by her since. I love learning more about her life and how she changed the view of women in the workforce and in journalism. I can not wait to read more books about her.
December 16, 2012
Another outstanding biography, replete with photographs, from National Geographic. Nellie Bly led a very interesting and dynamic life and the book contains lots of stories of her struggles and triumphs.
November 25, 2013
Fascinating introduction to Nellie Bly's work, independence, and spirit. The pictures work well and the format well constructed. National Graphic has published a number of excellent books for a tween audience.
February 3, 2015
I really enjoyed this book as an overview of Nellie Bly's life. It is in the juvenile section of our library so it is written for the younger readers. It told me enough to make me want to know more; so my next book is Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist - a 600+ page biography.
July 17, 2015
A small book that gives an overview of Bly's life. It is not an attempt to provide the details but it is amazingly thorough and provides a useful timeline. Her personality shows through but without nuance. For the story of her trip around the world, one has to read a broader biography.
February 5, 2010
A fantastic biography of Nellie Bly. Packed with wonderful information for reports, and interesting to read. Makes clear her importance in history. Includes a timeline of her life.
March 25, 2010
I nice biography about a trailblazing reporter. She spent her life bringing notice to the injustices of the world, particularly those against women.
January 2, 2016
I'm pretty sure that I read this last year and didn't really like it then either. How they managed to make Nellie Bly so boring I'll never understand.
Read
February 10, 2016The book was O.K.
January 31, 2022
In looking for a copy of Nellie Bly’s Around the World in 72 Days at the library (they don’t have it), I came across this biography in pictures and decided to check it out as a companion read to the aforementioned as well as Bly’s other most famous work, Ten Days in a Madhouse.
Nellie Bly was the pen name of Elizabeth Cochran(e) (1864-1922), who spent her life as a pioneering investigative journalist. Her career was launched by a letter to the editor when she was 21 in response to an opinion piece that women should stay out of the workplace and support their husbands from home. Bly’s father died when she was six, and as his estate was divided among his numerous children, his second wife (Bly’s mother) was left with very little. Her mother eventually remarried, but the man was an alcoholic and abusive, so she divorced him and had to struggle as a working mother of four at a time when women had limited job opportunities. Bly webt to school to become a teacher at 15 to earn her own living, but had to drop out after the first term when she learned her inheritance had been mismanaged by the banker and was gone. So Bly’s journalistic interests in women’s and worker’s rights are hardly surprising.
She was one of the early reporters who went undercover and became part of the story, something she became known for. Her first and earliest exploit: going undercover in a New York insane asylum for women where she found many of the women were sane but trapped there, and the conditions were deplorable. She remained a reporter most of her life, acting as a correspondent in Austria during World War I and interviewing famous women’s rights activists including Emma Goldman and Susan B. Anthony.
This is a solid biography aimed at middle-grade readers, about 70 pages, half text and half photos and ephemera. A few of the photos are of the period with captions of “like this” and not directly connected to Bly. While this generally works, this style can be misleading. Noting Bly wrote an exposé in the 1880s on conditions suffered by female factory workers, there’s a staged photo of calm and neatly dressed women factory workers from 1895. The caption acknowledges such photos from the 1880s are rare, but it feels a bit misleading. Imagine a promotional shot for a company brochure in 1995–different style of dress, different technology, etc.—used to illustrate a story on inhumane working conditions in a 1980s factory. Granted, I doubt they took many candid photos period in the 1880s, but it’s the kind of thing that might confuse readers.
There’s not a lot of depth here, and the book no doubt skims over parts of her life. It’s a sanitized view and works for a 6th-grade book report, or for a quick overview of her life, which is what I wanted.
Nellie Bly was the pen name of Elizabeth Cochran(e) (1864-1922), who spent her life as a pioneering investigative journalist. Her career was launched by a letter to the editor when she was 21 in response to an opinion piece that women should stay out of the workplace and support their husbands from home. Bly’s father died when she was six, and as his estate was divided among his numerous children, his second wife (Bly’s mother) was left with very little. Her mother eventually remarried, but the man was an alcoholic and abusive, so she divorced him and had to struggle as a working mother of four at a time when women had limited job opportunities. Bly webt to school to become a teacher at 15 to earn her own living, but had to drop out after the first term when she learned her inheritance had been mismanaged by the banker and was gone. So Bly’s journalistic interests in women’s and worker’s rights are hardly surprising.
She was one of the early reporters who went undercover and became part of the story, something she became known for. Her first and earliest exploit: going undercover in a New York insane asylum for women where she found many of the women were sane but trapped there, and the conditions were deplorable. She remained a reporter most of her life, acting as a correspondent in Austria during World War I and interviewing famous women’s rights activists including Emma Goldman and Susan B. Anthony.
This is a solid biography aimed at middle-grade readers, about 70 pages, half text and half photos and ephemera. A few of the photos are of the period with captions of “like this” and not directly connected to Bly. While this generally works, this style can be misleading. Noting Bly wrote an exposé in the 1880s on conditions suffered by female factory workers, there’s a staged photo of calm and neatly dressed women factory workers from 1895. The caption acknowledges such photos from the 1880s are rare, but it feels a bit misleading. Imagine a promotional shot for a company brochure in 1995–different style of dress, different technology, etc.—used to illustrate a story on inhumane working conditions in a 1980s factory. Granted, I doubt they took many candid photos period in the 1880s, but it’s the kind of thing that might confuse readers.
There’s not a lot of depth here, and the book no doubt skims over parts of her life. It’s a sanitized view and works for a 6th-grade book report, or for a quick overview of her life, which is what I wanted.
September 29, 2021
This is an excellent biography for mid-older elementary readers to do a book report or use for research. With an introduction by Nick News host, journalist Linda Ellerby and simple but detailed text by Sue Macy and loads of primary source images, I loved reading this. Even I learned a lot about Nellie Bly, including the fact her pen name came from a minstrel song. Fortunately she didn't choose it and the spelling was accidentally changed so I don't think she's in danger of being cancelled and hopefully her achievements would outweigh any prejudices of her time anyway.
The writing is simple and clear but not dumbed down. The book doesn't have chapters but it reads like it does. There's a section and then some images and then more text with smaller images covering Nellie's early years to her death.
There's an Afterward, chronology, resources and sources of quotes plus a column of image credits. Like most books of this type though the image credits are not super detailed. I did some digging and the cataloger of the original image they sourced didn't do enough metadata to answer my questions. That's just me being SUPER nitpicky because I'm an archivist and historian and I need to know these things like specifically what year is that Nellie Bly game from! I have a reproduction of the game which I believe is a replica first edition but apparently the boxes changed over the years to reflect the fashions and trends of the time. (ex. Nellie is shown with an airplane in the background even though her 'round the world journey took place long before the first flight).
The primary source photos really knock this out of the park for me though. They're nice and big so I can examine the details. They might be too dull for children though given the nature of black and white and sepia toned images of the day. I appreciate the authenticity but I think I kid would be more drawn to colorized images. At this point my nieces won't even pick up anything except a graphic novel if it's not for school so I'm not going to bother asking them to give me their opinions.
The writing is simple and clear but not dumbed down. The book doesn't have chapters but it reads like it does. There's a section and then some images and then more text with smaller images covering Nellie's early years to her death.
There's an Afterward, chronology, resources and sources of quotes plus a column of image credits. Like most books of this type though the image credits are not super detailed. I did some digging and the cataloger of the original image they sourced didn't do enough metadata to answer my questions. That's just me being SUPER nitpicky because I'm an archivist and historian and I need to know these things like specifically what year is that Nellie Bly game from! I have a reproduction of the game which I believe is a replica first edition but apparently the boxes changed over the years to reflect the fashions and trends of the time. (ex. Nellie is shown with an airplane in the background even though her 'round the world journey took place long before the first flight).
The primary source photos really knock this out of the park for me though. They're nice and big so I can examine the details. They might be too dull for children though given the nature of black and white and sepia toned images of the day. I appreciate the authenticity but I think I kid would be more drawn to colorized images. At this point my nieces won't even pick up anything except a graphic novel if it's not for school so I'm not going to bother asking them to give me their opinions.
December 31, 2020
I became enthralled with Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochran) 1864-1922, after reading "10 Days in a Mad House. I knew that she was a journalist or writer but I didn't know what I could/should believe. I wanted to read more by her and about her. This National Geographic publication is an easy, fun way to capture the spirit and reason Nellie did what she did which was so unusual for a young woman in the late 1800s. Often Nellie was assigned fashion or society events but it was the "stunt journalism" where the reporter becomes part of the story by going undercover as in the 10 Days in a Mad House or becoming a factory girl. I'm looking forward to reading "Around the World in 72 Days'.
p20 "She only had to think of her mother to know that women could not always depend on men! She became the voice for the plight of widows and unmarried girls who were not blessed with great beauty, talent, or wealth. These women needed the opportunity to earna living but current attitudes restricted the types of jobs available to them."
p20 "She only had to think of her mother to know that women could not always depend on men! She became the voice for the plight of widows and unmarried girls who were not blessed with great beauty, talent, or wealth. These women needed the opportunity to earna living but current attitudes restricted the types of jobs available to them."
November 11, 2018
Nicely done. A great photographic collection and a great place to start. I always forget that she was the one that went under cover in the asylum and exposed it. Every time I come across that I say oh yeah that was her. I would definitely recommend this book. I didn’t know that she wrote about world war one. Even more interesting that she started her trip to Austria after the war began. I guess she missed all of their travel on the sea.
November 24, 2017
I found this biography fascinating and well written. My only problem is with the format. This book is written for tweens or maybe early teens. Yet it is the size of a picture book with many words on a page. Mistake. Either make it a picture book or make it a "chapter" book if you want to find readers.
April 15, 2018
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