Exiles in New York City – A Haunting, Necessary Chronicle of the Forgotten

Phillip Yanos’ Exiles in New York City (published March 2025) is more than a book—it’s an unflinching mirror held up to a city that prides itself on progress, yet has systematically exiled its most vulnerable for over a century. As the second of Yanos’ works I’ve devoured on mental health stigma, this volume cements his reputation as a scholar who wields rigor and empathy in equal measure.

Yanos guides readers through the shadowed corridors of Ward’s Island, a place where New York’s “undesirables” have been hidden away like dirty secrets. His excavation of the island’s history—laced with bureaucratic indifference and political maneuvering—reads like a slow-burn thriller, except the tragedy is real, and the victims are those society refuses to see.

For native New Yorkers, this book is a revelation. It peels back the glossy veneer of the city to expose a geography of abandonment, where policies have often been crueler than the illnesses they purport to treat. But for those with lived experience—especially peer specialists and people in recovery—Exiles is something sharper: a gut-punch reminder that the stigma faced today is not new, only repackaged. Yanos doesn’t just recount history; he draws blood with the parallels to modern neglect.

Yet there’s hope here, too. By naming the exile, Yanos arms his readers with the knowledge to challenge it. This isn’t just a book; it’s a call to witness.

Verdict: A must-read for advocates, survivors, and anyone who believes a city’s soul is measured by how it treats its outcasts. Yanos delivers again—with precision, passion, and a quiet fury that lingers long after the last page.