Around the World in Seventy-two Days and Other Writings, Nellie Bly

Nellie Bly was a stunt journalist in the late 1800s / early 1900s, in the days where there were hardly any female journalists, let alone women who were employed/allowed to do the type of investigative journalism she did. A friend told me about her and I was intrigued enough to buy this collection of her writings. It is fascinating and eye-opening.

Bly became famous for her exposé of the treatment of women in New York’s asylums at the time. She managed to write the account by getting herself committed for 10 days to experience the treatment first hand. Her most famous stunt is that of the title - she travelled around the world in 72 days, aiming to beat Phileas Fogg’s fictional 80 day trip. The newspaper she was writing for really milked the publicity, and kept highlighting the fact she was a woman, emphasising her youth and generally conveying that it was extraordinary for a woman to be undertaking such a trip. 

In writing she comes across as very self congratulatory and incredibly racist and judgemental, ‘normal’ for the time I suppose but uncomfortable reading. It is really clear that the more someone was similar to her in background, the more sympathy and understanding she had for them, if not she was prejudiced, unforgiving and in some cases totally unfeeling.