Hanna Greally's journey of recovery unfolds as she transitions from the confines of a psychiatric hospital in the Irish Midlands to reclaiming her autonomy and citizenship. Following her harrowing experiences detailed in her first book, she now explores the challenges and triumphs of reintegrating into society. This narrative captures her resilience and the profound impact of her past on her quest for healing and self-identity.
In Birds Nest Soup Hanna Greally recounts with vivid detail the terrible suffering she endured in a psychiatric hospital in the Irish Midlands in the 1940s and 50s. "Mentally well, but unclaimed" sums up her horrendous situation for the best part of twenty years. What she anticipated as a short rest in the `Big House' was repeatedly prolonged as it became clear that after her mother's unexpected death none of her relatives had any intention of applying for her release. She survived this Kafka-esque situation emotionally and physically whole, and when a more enlightened system was introduced, she regained her freedom through a rehabilitation institute in 1962.