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8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Four StarsDec 29, 2002
By Kelley Hunt
This book is about Della Raye Rogers who at age 4, along with her mother and some other relatives, was committed to the Partlow State School for Mental Deficients in Alabama. It was 1929 and Della Raye's Uncle Richard was too poor to shoulder the burden of caring for himself and his "feeble-minded" relations so he had them institutionalized. At the state school the patients were classified as "morons", "imbeciles" or "idiots". The staff was mostly untrained and uneducated so the "school" was more of an underfunded warehouse for those who were unable to care for themselves. After suffering 20 years of horrifying physical, psychological and emotional abuse, Della Raye was finally released. She found that she not only had the spirit & intelligence to live her life fully, but also the grace to forgive those who had treated her so badly. A heart-warming, inspiring story of the power of love and faith.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 I couldn't put it down!Aug 09, 2002
A must read for everyone. I was hooked by the first paragraph at the library, but ran out to buy my own copy. Della Raye is one amazing lady. Incredible story of human strength and perseverence in the face of unbelievable inhumane conditions.I wanted to run out, find her, and take her home with me!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Sad but trueMay 04, 2002
By smartnurse123
This is a fascinating real-life story... a sad story... but one of hope and forgiveness.... it will make you cry and wonder how anyone could survive as Della Raye survived.Imagine being institutionalized in the Deep South during the depression... Imagine the pain and sorrow of a young child separated from her mother--left to live and grow in a mental institution with abusive guards in an unjust system--yet she survived and lived to tell about it!! I was happy to get to the ending, yet I didn't want it to end. This book had an emotional hold on me! Realizing that most of us can survive successfully through anything, I thank Della Raye for her story.... She has a great message for all of us.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Inspirational!Apr 16, 2002
"Della Raye" is the true life, depression era story of Della Raye Rogers, who was wrongly committed to the Partlow State Asylum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at the age of four. Author Penley does a first-class job of detailing the horrors that she endured, and tells her uplifting story in a lively, engaging style. It is obvious that Penley did extensive research about the Partlow Asylum, the "science" of mental health in the early part of the 20th century, and spent many hours with Della Raye herself. Della Raye's own words are scattered throughout the book and are a great complement to the images he creates. Della Raye's story is one of those that makes each one of us wonder whether we would have the personal strength, intelligence, wit, grace, and grit to not only endure the unspeakable, but shed the bitterness and go on with our lives. This is a fine book.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Little Girl LostJun 18, 2007
By James Nelems
Della Raye is only one of hundreds of children from age 2 through age 21 who were shipped off by one or both parents to Partlow who simply did not want to care for them any more. Fortunately she, and others whom I personally know, came through it, although they will never forget the nightmares of being locked in a 4 x 4 room for a month for stealing a piece of cornbread, or worse yet, beging stripped naked and taking turns for showers until all patients in that building were finished. No personal clothing, no books, no radios, or newspapers, when a relative of mine was released after ten years, she did not even know how to dial a phone or how to apply for a job. This book is a true story of one person's hell, replicated thousands of times over at least 50 years, and must be read to be believed. Believe me, it is all true.
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