Isn't She Fictional
Season 1
Aqua Tofana
The Occupation of Alcatraz Island
The Winterbourne View Abuse Story
The Steven Callahan Story: 76 Days Lost at Sea
J.M. Barrie, The Man Who Created Peter Pan (P1)
by Meghan Valentina
In the first episode of Isn't She Fictional our book recommendation is The Lost Apothecary by Sara Penner. For our topic, we are taking a Magic School Bus ride back to 17th-century Italy, the criminal magic underworld, and one of the most notorious slow-acting poisons of the time: Aqua Tofana. Book link- https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-lost-apothecary-a-novel_sarah-penner/26594046/?resultid=1ab12f9d-f357-45ab-800b-e03d223aa08a#edition=59453629&idiq=52061496 Sources- Toxicology in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. by Philip Wexler. Academic Press. 2017 https://mikedashhistory.com/2015/04/06/aqua-tofana-slow-poisoning-and-husband-killing-in-17th-century-italy/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128095546000068
Episode two of Isn't She Fictional, inspired by the book There There by Tommy Orange, looks back at the multiple occupations of Alcatraz Island and the indigenous history surrounding the rock and the fight for land back. link to the book- https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/there-there_tommy-orange/18599686/#edition=19795318&idiq=29351443 Sources- • Heart of the Rock. The Indian Invasion of Alcatraz by Adam Fortunate Eagle. in collaboration with Tim Findley. University of Oklahoma Press. 2002. • https://ltbbodawa-nsn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Creation-Story-Turtle-Island.pdf • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEmae2PsWJI •https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2023-08/1969-alcatraz-hs.pdf • https://www.nps.gov/alca/learn/historyculture/we-hold-the-rock.htm • https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-alcatraz/ • https://www.britannica.com/place/Alcatraz-Island
In this episode of Isn't She Fictional, inspired by our book recommendation, None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, we are taking a trip to the U.K. to examine the unfortunate and true story of the Winterbourne View abuse scandal. Winterbourne View was a facility where individuals with autism and learning disabilities were sent against their will and their caretakers will under the order of the Mental Health Act of 1985, but instead of receiving proper care, they were gravely mistreated and abused. Book Link- https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/untitled-a-novel_lisa-jewell/37521314/?resultid=769380b0-7dd0-4d8a-b173-091c8d509d3e#edition=65484195&idiq=58925257 Sources- https://www.mind.org.uk/ (UK Mental Health Resource) https://autismsociety.org/ (US Autism Resource) • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAUkzWFFdqQ (BBC Panorama film report) • https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/u-k-government-faces-lawsuit-over- mistreatment-of-autistic-people/ • https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-20078999 • https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-20084254 • https://www.anncrafttrust.org/learning-disability-and-autism-no-longer-to-be- listed-as-a-mental-health- disorder/#:~:text=Currently%20people%20with%20a%20learning,This%20is%20 set%20to%20change. • https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-policy-work/mental-health-act-review/ • https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/get-act-mental-health-act- 2022#:~:text=(LPS)%20scheme.- ,The%20new%20Mental%20Health%20Act%20proposals,compulsory%20treatm ent%20under%20section%203. • https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0695/ • https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/1832- 1914/ • https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-20092894 (full list of sentencing) • https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-19990628
Inspired by our book recommendation, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, we are exploring the very real survival story of Steven Callahan, who, through a series of unfortunate events and immense survival skills, survived 76 days lost at sea. Book Link- https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/life-of-pi-by-yann-martel/246634/?resultid=b0ef5ada-4698-4579-8981-c45cec1c5813#edition=2348691&idiq=1470226 Sources- • Adrift, 76 Days Lost at Sea. by Steven Callahan. First Mariner Books Edition, 2002. • https://www.sailingeurope.com/blog/survival-at-sea-the-thrilling-story-of-steve- callahan • https://www.npr.org/2013/02/24/172632549/real-life-shipwreck-survivor-helped- life-of-pi-get-lost-at-sea • https://www.boatus.com/expert-advice/expert-advice- archive/2012/december/behind-the-scenes-with-the-original-pi • https://youtu.be/uUyt_iW9dVk?si=3QXM1nJIWnkxgmFf (I Shouldn’t be Alive episode) • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Callahan • https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/sailing/04/22/clam.ppl/index.html
In episode five of Isn't She Fictional, our book, Darling Girl by Liz Michalski, a retelling of the classic Peter Pan, leads us to a two-part visit to the immense, at times tragic and controversial, life of James Matthew Barrie, the man who created Peter Pan. Book Link- https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/darling-girl-a-novel-of-peter-pan_liz-michalski/29236962/?resultid=94fbf1e0-87c4-4cf7-8440-0c1ac181631d#edition=66092497&idiq=61584018 Sources- • Hide and Seek with Angels. A Life of J.M. Barrie. The Author of Peter Pan. by Lisa Chaney. St. Martin’s Press. New York. 2005. • https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/jm-barrie • http://neverpedia.com/pan/Barrie_family#google_vignette • https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-97c7-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 • https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/11/22/lost-boys • https://jmbarrie.co.uk/search?category=documents
In the final episode of season one of Isn't She Fictional and our two-part episode on J.M. Barrie, we conclude our exploration of the life and times of the man who created Peter Pan. Book Link- https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/darling-girl-a-novel-of-peter-pan_liz-michalski/29236962/?resultid=94fbf1e0-87c4-4cf7-8440-0c1ac181631d#edition=66092497&idiq=61584018 Sources- • Hide and Seek with Angels. A Life of J.M. Barrie. The Author of Peter Pan. by Lisa Chaney. St. Martin’s Press. New York. 2005. • https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/jm-barrie • http://neverpedia.com/pan/Barrie_family#google_vignette • https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-97c7-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 • https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/11/22/lost-boys • https://jmbarrie.co.uk/search?category=documents