The Girl in Building C

The True Story of a Teenage Tuberculosis Patient

Biography & Memoir, Reference, Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book The Girl in Building C by , Minnesota Historical Society Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781681340968
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press Publication: September 1, 2018
Imprint: Minnesota Historical Society Press Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781681340968
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
Publication: September 1, 2018
Imprint: Minnesota Historical Society Press
Language: English

In October 1943, sixteen-year-old Marilyn Barnes was told that her recent bout of pneumonia was in fact tuberculosis. She entered Ah-gwah-ching State Sanatorium at Walker, Minnesota, for what she thought would be a short stay. In January, her tuberculosis spread, and she nearly died. Her recovery required many months of bed rest and medical care.

Marilyn loved to write, and the story of her three-year residency at the sanatorium is preserved in hundreds of letters that she mailed back home to her parents, who could visit her only occasionally and whom she missed terribly. The letters functioned as a diary in which Marilyn articulately and candidly recorded her reactions to roommates, medical treatments, Native American nurses, and boredom. She also offers readers the singular perspective of a bed-bound teenager, gossiping about boys, requesting pretty new pajamas, and enjoying Friday evening popcorn parties with other patients.

Selections from this cache of letters are woven into an informative narrative that explores the practices and culture of a midcentury tuberculosis sanatorium and fills in long-forgotten details gleaned from recent conversations with Marilyn, who "graduated" from the sanatorium and went on to lead a full, productive life.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In October 1943, sixteen-year-old Marilyn Barnes was told that her recent bout of pneumonia was in fact tuberculosis. She entered Ah-gwah-ching State Sanatorium at Walker, Minnesota, for what she thought would be a short stay. In January, her tuberculosis spread, and she nearly died. Her recovery required many months of bed rest and medical care.

Marilyn loved to write, and the story of her three-year residency at the sanatorium is preserved in hundreds of letters that she mailed back home to her parents, who could visit her only occasionally and whom she missed terribly. The letters functioned as a diary in which Marilyn articulately and candidly recorded her reactions to roommates, medical treatments, Native American nurses, and boredom. She also offers readers the singular perspective of a bed-bound teenager, gossiping about boys, requesting pretty new pajamas, and enjoying Friday evening popcorn parties with other patients.

Selections from this cache of letters are woven into an informative narrative that explores the practices and culture of a midcentury tuberculosis sanatorium and fills in long-forgotten details gleaned from recent conversations with Marilyn, who "graduated" from the sanatorium and went on to lead a full, productive life.

More books from Minnesota Historical Society Press

Cover of the book The Scandinavian Riviera, or Hovland, Minnesota by
Cover of the book Norwegian American Women by
Cover of the book Canoeing with the Cree by
Cover of the book The North Star State by
Cover of the book Across the Deep Blue Sea by
Cover of the book Frederick Weyerhaeuser and the American West by
Cover of the book Stand Up! by
Cover of the book The Settlers by
Cover of the book Riding Shotgun by
Cover of the book All the Lights On by
Cover of the book Kitchi-Gami by
Cover of the book Swedes in Minnesota by
Cover of the book The Crops Look Good by
Cover of the book History of the Ojibway People, Second Edition by
Cover of the book The State We're In by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy