Winnie: My Life in the Institution

by Jamie Pastor Bolnick

Winnie Sprockett was just six years old in 1938 when she was committed by her foster mother to a state institution for mentally retarded females, where she remained most of her life.

Despite her isolation and some harsh -- and, in a few instances, cruel -- treatment, she grew into a compassionate and generous woman. Among the remarkable things about Winnie, one stands out: though she received barely a fourth grade education in the institution, and her IQ was approximately that of a nine year old, she wrote her autobiography.

With the help of journalist Jamie Pastor Bolnick, Winnie tells a story that is both chilling and inspiring, a story that at times sounds unbelievable but is, according to public and medical records and those who knew her best, true.

Published to widespread critical acclaim in 1985, and made into a beloved 1988 NBC Movie of the Week--starring Meredith Baxter (Birney) and David Morse-- that continues to be seen to this day, it has been long out of print and almost impossible to find. But after more than twenty years, a new and revised paperback edition of "Winnie: My Life in the Institution" is now available.

Genres: Mental Illness, Biography Memoir

260 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2010

Reviews

[Wesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I wanted to read writing from the perspective of institutionalized people - I'm mentally ill and work in the psychology field, and was tired of reading things about psychology and institutions written from neurotypical people who don't actually live with any of the conditions that they're writing about.

Anyways. Downsides of this - it's still technically written/filtered through a neurotypical person who ultimately publishes the book and profits off of Winnie's story. Because of this, I have to wonder how much of this is accurate and how much has been falsified in order to sell to the average person. But I think even so, it is still a decent account of what life was like for someone with a developmental disorder living in mental health institutions during the 1960s. While the overall memoir feels like it speaks pretty highly of institutions (compared to what one usually hears), there are still depictions of extreme abuse that a modern reader definitely shouldn't gloss over as being indicative of a time period because they are still happening to people with mental disabilities today. And underneath the day to day of Winnie's life is a yearning for personal agency and freedom that are still being denied individuals on the basis of their "intellectual capability".

I think this is a good example for people who have no understanding of developmental disorders and have misconceptions about them to read and hopefully learn to treat others with more kindness and respect regardless of how they present. But otherwise this memoir just left me with sadness knowing that Winnie didn't have the life she should have because there was no one to advocate for her and no options for accommodations and aid.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this, I think twice, when I was young. Under 15. I remember it being an insightful and heartbreaking look into this woman's world. I would like to read it again.

[Abigail]

I actually own a translated edition (9065902685). "Een Gekooide Vogel"; translated by E.A. Swart-Herkenhoff

[Deborah Bain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sounds like an interesting read