I’m Victoria Borland, and I created A Louder Silence to chronicle the process of writing my first nonfiction book: a story about the cultural impact of polio in the mid-20th century, and about Elizabeth Kenny, the enigmatic nurse who took on the entrenched medical establishment to revolutionize its treatment. (She made a lot of very powerful friends and enemies in the process, and touched many thousands of lives.)
If it’s your first time here, welcome. I recommend starting with the series of posts in the “Introduction” category, the first of which is here; once you’ve got a little bit of background under you, you can keep reading from whatever point you like.
If you have any questions, comments, or stories you’d like to share with me, you can reach me here on this blog (of course), or at aloudersilence@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading! I’m looking forward to meeting you all.
A Louder Silence 
Hi Victoria! I met you briefly at the District Rotary Conference this past weekend, and I just wanted to say that I am looking forward to reading your blog and your book.
— Maggie Blackwell
FortWayne, IN
maggie.blackwell34@gmail.com
Ms. Borland,
I’m a high school student doing a National History Day project on Sister Kenny. I am going to use a photograph you have in a post in my project (with proper citation). If possible I would like to cite the original source of the photo. I also plan on citing some of your blog posts as sources.
The photograph I plan on using is from “Breathing Underwater” posted on Monday May 13th, 2013. It is a photo of five young children in polio braces. The child in the middle is either crying or screaming. Do you know where this photograph is from?
Thanks for having an amazing blog, and for the help!
Sincerely,
Lily
Hi Lily! Thanks so much for reading–I’m really glad you’re finding this site helpful.
That particular photo comes from Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, TX, in the late 1940s or possibly early 1950s. I originally found it in a private collection, but it can be found online in a couple of places that will be easier to source, most notably in this 2010 article in the Texas Observer: http://www.texasobserver.org/lessons-unlearned/ . The *original* source is the hospital itself.
Please let me know if I can answer any other questions, or point you in the direction of any more primary sources! Good luck on your project.
Thank you so much!!!
I am also a high school student creating a website on Sister Kenny for the National History Day competition and I just so happened to run into your blog. I have to say, it’s really quite a gem and has been a great source of inspiration. I would also love to read your book in the future. Thanks for your interest in Sister Kenny, keep up the great work!