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In All Things: A Return to the Drooling Ward
In 1970, a seventeen-year-old trainee enters the psychiatric technician training program at Sonoma State Hospital. Having volunteered there as a high school student, he feels fairly well prepared and presumes that conditions like those in Jack London’s 1914 short story about the place, “Told in the Drooling Ward” are a thing of the past. He soon discovers that what really happens behind the closed doors of the institution has not changed much since London’s time, certainly not for the better.
Taught the “necessary” skill of how to choke out a patient on his first day, and told with a shrug that sometimes when patients run away to the nearby hills, they’re never found, the young trainee is thrust into a world of austere realities that most adults would balk at entering.
Based on author Ed Davis’s real-life experiences, In All Things is an honest reflection of a pivotal time in his life, as well as a compelling social commentary on how mental institutions were run in the 1970s. Told as a fictionalized, first-person narrative and expressed with stirring compassion, his story is an open door into a dark part of our history that will stay with you long after you read the last page.
Taught the “necessary” skill of how to choke out a patient on his first day, and told with a shrug that sometimes when patients run away to the nearby hills, they’re never found, the young trainee is thrust into a world of austere realities that most adults would balk at entering.
Based on author Ed Davis’s real-life experiences, In All Things is an honest reflection of a pivotal time in his life, as well as a compelling social commentary on how mental institutions were run in the 1970s. Told as a fictionalized, first-person narrative and expressed with stirring compassion, his story is an open door into a dark part of our history that will stay with you long after you read the last page.
86 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2014
27 people are currently reading
744 people want to read
About the author
Ed Davis
5 books47 followersEd Davis began his writing career forty years ago, pausing in boxcars, under streetlamps and in hobo jungles to record the beats and rhythms of the road as he caught freight trains and vagabonded around the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
In the decades since, while his destinations and modes of travel may have changed, his quest to capture the essence of the traveling experience has remained true. He lives in Glen Ellen, California with his wife Jan.
His next novel, "The Last Professional" is due for release from Artemesia Publishing in January of 2022!
In the decades since, while his destinations and modes of travel may have changed, his quest to capture the essence of the traveling experience has remained true. He lives in Glen Ellen, California with his wife Jan.
His next novel, "The Last Professional" is due for release from Artemesia Publishing in January of 2022!
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 19, 2018
Ed Davis took a journey back in time with a scowling look at a State Mental Health Institute. From soup to nuts, every variety of mental and physical ailments and diseases that plagued mankind was painfully brought to light. The storyline provided a heart-wrenching account of the horrific conditions that prevailed. It was difficult to fully absorb.
It's 1970 at Sonoma State Hospital in Eldridge, California, a place mostly for the feeble-minded that boasted a mind-boggling population of 3,500 patients. However, back then the patients were still being referred to as inmates. Barbaric treatments such as electroshock therapy and lobotomies were widely accepted and used.
There were countless children with deformities that ran the gauntlet of diseases. It was like a freak sideshow you'd see at a carnival. Deplorable treatment was doled out to the patients like cotton candy. It was certainly not a good place or time to be in need.
At the tender age of seventeen, after passing a qualifying examination, the author secured a job there as a psychiatric technician trainee. Fresh out of high school, it seemed like the right thing to do. The pay was horrid but the lure of securing a well-paying job in the not too-distant-future was worth it, but he'd have to pay his dues. It didn't come easy.
I offer my thanks to NetGalley and Wedgewood Press for this digital edition in exchange for an unbiased review.
It's 1970 at Sonoma State Hospital in Eldridge, California, a place mostly for the feeble-minded that boasted a mind-boggling population of 3,500 patients. However, back then the patients were still being referred to as inmates. Barbaric treatments such as electroshock therapy and lobotomies were widely accepted and used.
There were countless children with deformities that ran the gauntlet of diseases. It was like a freak sideshow you'd see at a carnival. Deplorable treatment was doled out to the patients like cotton candy. It was certainly not a good place or time to be in need.
At the tender age of seventeen, after passing a qualifying examination, the author secured a job there as a psychiatric technician trainee. Fresh out of high school, it seemed like the right thing to do. The pay was horrid but the lure of securing a well-paying job in the not too-distant-future was worth it, but he'd have to pay his dues. It didn't come easy.
I offer my thanks to NetGalley and Wedgewood Press for this digital edition in exchange for an unbiased review.
December 8, 2014
I've driven by Sonoma State Hospital hundreds of times, wondering what it was like behind its walls. Ed Davis took me there with, "In All Things." It was scary, touching, sad, freaky, uplifting, heartfelt, and also a sweetly amazing story about a world that is kept hidden from most of us. I got what it was like to be a psych tech working there, and the residents who live there. Wonderful novella about a place and its people the author holds dear to his heart. A worth read!
August 20, 2014
A quick read, very well written, about a world few of us know.
January 10, 2017
Good read on an important theme. In this case, however, more would be more. Given that the genre is autobiographical fiction, this reader would have preferred more detail in the accounts of its narrator's perspective. Also, in light of the process well underway to permanently close the historical facility (Sonoma State Hospital), a stronger sense of the challenges facing patients who will be (have been) "mainstreamed," or otherwise displaced, would be welcome. Perhaps a revised edition could include encounters with patients no longer housed there. Finally, the subtitle continues to disturb me: I experience it as a sensationalized reference that could be better justified by incorporation of elements of Jack London's story into the overall narrative.
January 8, 2019
Thank God there are men like, Ed Davis.
Our history in varicose the mentally ill or those with defects has not been stellar. What a story of a young man , who was through these eyes of compassion the person not the defect. A must read.
Our history in varicose the mentally ill or those with defects has not been stellar. What a story of a young man , who was through these eyes of compassion the person not the defect. A must read.
October 10, 2018
I LOVED this book. I think the best books are the ones that make you feel so many emotions in the best way possible, and this is definitely one of those stories.
October 10, 2018
This one held on to me from the first page to the very last! The author tells a heartbreaking, but necessary tale. It's powerful, beautiful, and everything good literary fiction should be.
kindle
May 27, 2019Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.
November 14, 2018
In All Things: A Return To The Drooling Ward
by Ed Davis
2014
Wedgewood Press
In the summer of 1970, Ed Davis applied to the Psych Tech Program at what was then called the Sonoma State Hospital after going on a field trip with a Biology teacher t the hospital. After several more visits, he made the decision to apply and was accepted. It was an eye opening experience difficult experience, and this story was hard to read at times.
At the time some of the things they did were viewed as normal and logical, but were anything but only make you question just what is normal.....and thankful there have been so many changes to the dignity as well as the health care these young boys were given.
Assigned to wards, these boys were considered "inmates" and were separated by disability, not ability. Many were given Thorazine and Dilantin daily, fed with nasal feeding tubes and were given a diet of "modified soft" foods. Prescribed stool softener daily, they were chronically ill and had bowel problems........No wonder, soft foods and stool softener......
To control the outbreak of sexual contact between "inmates" the males were subjected to a special "circumcision". If a women became pregnant, it was called an appendectomy. Some women had several.
And the one that bothered me the most.....the use of electroconvulsive therapy to control behavior. If this didn't help they were lobotomized and given larger doses of Thorazine.
I worked in Special Education for 13 years, and I have worked with students with many levels and types of disabilities, and thankfully with people who were professional and conscientious. Excellent teachers with knowledge and compassion, that helped to change not just how these innocent children are treated, but how society views them in general. I have never worked in a state run facility, and I am glad because there is no way in hell I could ever do some of the things I read in this book, and have seen for myself.
Special Education and inclusion has come a long way, books like this remind us why its necessary.
Great read.
by Ed Davis
2014
Wedgewood Press
In the summer of 1970, Ed Davis applied to the Psych Tech Program at what was then called the Sonoma State Hospital after going on a field trip with a Biology teacher t the hospital. After several more visits, he made the decision to apply and was accepted. It was an eye opening experience difficult experience, and this story was hard to read at times.
At the time some of the things they did were viewed as normal and logical, but were anything but only make you question just what is normal.....and thankful there have been so many changes to the dignity as well as the health care these young boys were given.
Assigned to wards, these boys were considered "inmates" and were separated by disability, not ability. Many were given Thorazine and Dilantin daily, fed with nasal feeding tubes and were given a diet of "modified soft" foods. Prescribed stool softener daily, they were chronically ill and had bowel problems........No wonder, soft foods and stool softener......
To control the outbreak of sexual contact between "inmates" the males were subjected to a special "circumcision". If a women became pregnant, it was called an appendectomy. Some women had several.
And the one that bothered me the most.....the use of electroconvulsive therapy to control behavior. If this didn't help they were lobotomized and given larger doses of Thorazine.
I worked in Special Education for 13 years, and I have worked with students with many levels and types of disabilities, and thankfully with people who were professional and conscientious. Excellent teachers with knowledge and compassion, that helped to change not just how these innocent children are treated, but how society views them in general. I have never worked in a state run facility, and I am glad because there is no way in hell I could ever do some of the things I read in this book, and have seen for myself.
Special Education and inclusion has come a long way, books like this remind us why its necessary.
Great read.
April 9, 2015
This book is a view of how the Mentally/Emotionally Challenged were handled in the past, it wasn't pretty. I received this book as a First Reads giveaway through goodreads.
This was a work of fiction based on the author's account of working in an Asylum during the 70's. It was right on spot the way the techs striped the patients of their dignity and the doctors did anything they could to disable these poor patients from being able a nuisance. Regulations were so that the doctors could do anything from lobotomies to any number of barbaric ways that deemed necessary to keep them "under control". Many of the patients in the asylum were there because the doctors would advise the parents when the child was born that it was the best place for them. Some of them were placed there for birth defects such as cleft palates, birth defects caused by the mother taking an anti-nausea medication during their pregnancy that was used during the the 60's. Some of these children didn't even need to be in there, their parents should have been able to care for them.
There is one case in this book that really touched my heart. It's about a young boy that was brought in by law enforcement mainly because he was acting out, both parents were dead and his elderly grandmother could no longer care for him. It goes to show you what a little bit kindness and respect can accomplish.
This is a very informative book, I'm so glad that most of the big state run "insane asylums" are no more.
This was a work of fiction based on the author's account of working in an Asylum during the 70's. It was right on spot the way the techs striped the patients of their dignity and the doctors did anything they could to disable these poor patients from being able a nuisance. Regulations were so that the doctors could do anything from lobotomies to any number of barbaric ways that deemed necessary to keep them "under control". Many of the patients in the asylum were there because the doctors would advise the parents when the child was born that it was the best place for them. Some of them were placed there for birth defects such as cleft palates, birth defects caused by the mother taking an anti-nausea medication during their pregnancy that was used during the the 60's. Some of these children didn't even need to be in there, their parents should have been able to care for them.
There is one case in this book that really touched my heart. It's about a young boy that was brought in by law enforcement mainly because he was acting out, both parents were dead and his elderly grandmother could no longer care for him. It goes to show you what a little bit kindness and respect can accomplish.
This is a very informative book, I'm so glad that most of the big state run "insane asylums" are no more.
February 19, 2019
After reading "Todd in the Drooling Ward" I had some reservations about reading "In All Things: A Return to the Drooling Ward" but having worked as a learning disability nurse, starting in the late seventies I was interested to see the difference between a British and an American experience. Sadly some of the attitudes were similar, even some of the terminology but not surprised that there were many caring people. One of Davis's comments "On Michelle's face and in Michelle's eyes, I wanted to see recognition and wasn't sure that I did. On Baby's, I saw recognition immediately and wished that I didn't" struck a familiar chord, often one hoped that there wasn't any real understanding.
Thankfully times have changed and looking back it's easy to condemn the institutions and their culture, however it is equally important to remember that many of the changes experienced today came out of the drive and desire for change of those staff, clients and their relatives.
Thankfully times have changed and looking back it's easy to condemn the institutions and their culture, however it is equally important to remember that many of the changes experienced today came out of the drive and desire for change of those staff, clients and their relatives.
February 20, 2023
A hard story that needs to be read
Ed Davis writes with his heart's blood instead of ink. The State Mental hospitals held societies discards. They were helpless wards of the state and sometimes used for experiments. Davis lived and worked among them. He tells their story with honesty and tenderness that speaks of humanity. Its not an easy read but a story that needs to be told. Every life should be valued. Ed Davis does that.
Ed Davis writes with his heart's blood instead of ink. The State Mental hospitals held societies discards. They were helpless wards of the state and sometimes used for experiments. Davis lived and worked among them. He tells their story with honesty and tenderness that speaks of humanity. Its not an easy read but a story that needs to be told. Every life should be valued. Ed Davis does that.
October 10, 2018
This story hit me so hard. Before reading it, I had never truly taken the time to consider what mental hospitals were like! Thank you, Ed Davis, for bringing light to a topic not often discussed! This is something that definitely is a must-read for people interested in psychology and mental illness.
October 22, 2018
Short story about the author's work at a mental hospital. Quick read, but very interesting. The writing is very straight forward and gives you a glimpse of the people who work and reside at this type of institution. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review.
February 9, 2019
I won this Kindle edition book in a GoodReads giveaway - thank you to everyone involved!
This book shows us a compassionate view involving mental health. It is well written.
This book shows us a compassionate view involving mental health. It is well written.
June 27, 2019
An interesting read about how it was interning in a mental facility.
March 30, 2024
I was delighted to see how many others have read this book! It's a short but sweet read, I could've read more, wanted more, but I understand that these kinds of subjects are hard to contain. What a wild story Ed Davis unravels through his witty, brilliant writing style and honest point of view. Every description was so vivid and true, snappy and sympathetic. I truly love his writing style and it blends so well with the short and morbid nature of this book. If you like books about Psychiatric Hospitals, this is a great pick. Even if you don't, literature like this is important, and I encourage you to read it. It will change your view on institutions, for better, for worse, and overall.
November 20, 2023
Great reading of sensitive subject
Having been both a volunteer and employee at two similar state "mental" institutions as described by Davis, his depiction of conditions, treatments, residents, technicians and staff resonated. The sensitivity and depth of his writing sets similar high standards for me to meet as an author. Bravo Ed for once again giving me a riveting read!
Having been both a volunteer and employee at two similar state "mental" institutions as described by Davis, his depiction of conditions, treatments, residents, technicians and staff resonated. The sensitivity and depth of his writing sets similar high standards for me to meet as an author. Bravo Ed for once again giving me a riveting read!
March 22, 2025
A heartbreaking book about a doctor in training that does his rotation in a state ward. The cruelty and sadness that surrounds the patients. He was the shining star to those he took care of. This will stay with me for quite a while!
November 7, 2023
A short read and a beautifully compassionate book!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews