My Thoughts On Liberty Street

If you haven’t read Liberty Street by Heather Marshall, put it at the top of your reading list immediately. It is an unforgettable, sobering look at a piece of Canadian history we desperately need to talk about more.

Taking place in 1960s Ontario, the book drops us into an era where women had little to no autonomy, fewer rights, and zero real choice. If you dared to act like you wanted something outside the narrow box society forced you into, you weren't just seen as unconventional, you were labeled "incorrigible." And if you pushed back hard enough? You could be institutionalized until you were "reformed." I put reformed in quotes because let’s be honest: no one was being healed. Women were simply bullied, terrified, and broken into submission until they performed the roles expected of them.

It made me stop and ask the question: How much has really changed? Women in history have blazed the path we walk upon now; and I am forever grateful. But society has yet to truly catch up. Women have dared to challenge the status quo creating many opportunities, but just because there is an offer on the table does not mean social pressures, resources, and the reality of being a woman in a system created by men, no longer impacts females.

While I have a dozen highlights throughout this novel, here are a few that left a lasting imprint.

Fake it Till You Make It

"The world doesn’t stop for anyone’s mental health; all you can really do is push forward until you push through, and if all else fails, fake it."

Tell me that doesn't ring painfully true today, especially in motherhood.

Even in our "liberated" current day society, a mother’s mental health is still routinely pushed to the back burner (that 8 week appointment where you are briefly asked how you are doing? A joke.). No matter how unravelled, anxious, or exhausted a woman is, the world expects her to keep the household running, nurture everyone else, and keep pushing. We swallow our tears in the pantry, wipe our faces, and walk back into the kitchen with a smile because the kids need lunch and the laundry won't fold itself. This has been modeled to us for generations. (Anyone read Yesteryear? Re: Natalie crying in the pantry and her mother saying getting through life is pretending it is a performance? Hmm).

And if you can’t push through? You fake it. You perform stability so no one questions your capability. 

When you finally reach a breaking point where you can no longer fake it, society doesn't step in with grace or systemic support. Instead, the narrative shifts instantly: She’s a bad mom. She’s ungrateful. She’s failing. She’s a burden. So, we hide. We isolate.

In 2026, we talk endlessly about "self-care" and mental health awareness, but are we actually supporting women? Or have we just commodified wellness into bubble baths and targeted ads, leaving mothers to navigate real crises completely alone? Oh, and don't forget, making time for "self-care" is an additional chore on its own.

We judge women who admit to feeling overwhelmed and we judge women who seem to have it all together.

There are positive changes happening; the research on women's health is catching up. Women in leadership roles are increasing. The change is happening! Society as a whole needs to get on board. There needs to be systemic change. We need to ask a woman how she is doing and be prepared for any answer she gives.

The Illusion of "Having It All" 

Through the character of Emily, Marshall highlights the agonizing tug of war between pursuing a career and raising a family. Back in the 60s, people were unabashedly vocal about believing a woman’s place was strictly in the home. Today, we pretend the playing field is level, but the glass ceiling remains firmly intact. Whether you choose to be a working mom or a stay at home mom, judgment follows you. Today’s judgment might be quieter or wrapped in passive aggression, but it’s just as heavy.

Marshall describes an "invisible cage" built for women; a structure designed by men that is:

"...full of false doors and tricky locks designed to exhaust women into submission."

We tell women they can have equal opportunities in the workforce, but we haven't touched the domestic structure.

Look at the reality of paternity leave. In Canada, leave options exist for fathers, yet the majority of non birthing partners barely take a fraction of the time off compared to mothers. If workplace equality is real, why aren't more men stepping away from their careers to step into the unpaid, exhausting labor of full time childcare and household management?

The answer is simple: corporate culture still penalizes care taking, and society still views domestic labor as "women's work." So instead of true partnership, women step into full time jobs while still shouldering the overwhelming majority of the physical labor and invisible mental load at home. We dangle the carrot of "having it all," but having it all in a system built by men, for men, is an illusion.

You cannot offer women equal opportunity by simply piling more onto their plates without taking anything off. That isn't equality; it's an invitation to burn out.

We Aren't "Crazy". We’re Exhausted

In Liberty Street, many of the women imprisoned in Mercer Reformatory were driven to the brink of true mental collapse by the horrifying conditions, systemic abuse, and complete stripping of their dignity. Society pushed them to the absolute limit, locked them away for not fitting a narrow mold, and then labeled them "mad" or "unstable".

It made me reflect on the age old, casual, socially acceptable "joke" that women are just "crazy."

We need to stop accepting that narrative. We need to stop laughing along.

We are not crazy.

We are burnt out.

We are sick and tired of having to do everything, for everyone, all the time. We are carrying the weight of being the family scheduler, the emotional anchor, the domestic manager, and the career woman; constantly forced to think six steps ahead, anticipating every single crisis before it happens, and worrying endlessly about the well being of every person in our orbit. And on top of surviving that relentless mental marathon? We are somehow expected to look calm, stay soft, keep a clean house, and maintain a size 4 while doing it. Oh, and be grateful!

That isn't female hysteria. It’s functional survival under insane expectations. Any human being subjected to that level of perpetual strain and impossible standards would feel like they were losing their mind.

Women aren't short fused because of some inherent flaw in their gender. They are driven to the edge by the rigid cages and unfair expectations society builds around women and it is high time we stop calling women "crazy" for reacting to an exhausting system.

Final Thoughts & Words of Encouragement From Doris

"At work, I worry I should have stayed with my son longer before finding a nanny. At home, I have work on my mind... because it never really ends. To some extent, you have to just accept that everything is going to be chaos, and do the best you can. But you've got to have the right man beside you."

Wise words from a woman who is both an authoritative leader in her career and a mother doing her best. Doris is brave, intelligent, and fiercely powerful (a character from Heather Marshall's novel, based on Doris Anderson. Look her up!), two takeaways here: motherhood is chaos, we have to accept that and who your partner is matters!

Don’t be fooled by the curated social media feeds that portray women effortlessly "having it all." Reality is messy, and finding a supportive partner who truly shares the load makes all the difference. Parenting was never meant to be a solo effort, it requires a real, equal partnership. In 2026 men are significantly more involved in their children's lives; and considering the majority of homes are two income households, many men seamlessly help with the mental load of running a household. Unfortunately, this is not the case for all households; but the truth is we are moving in the right direction!

Heather Marshall’s writing is deeply impactful, and finishing Liberty Street left me with a heavy heart. While legal rights and societal expectations have shifted on paper, the emotional and structural realities for women haven't moved nearly as much as we pretend they have.

Women are fierce. We are the doers, the fixers, and the ultimate caretakers. We can carry immense weight on our shoulders... but just because we can handle it all, does that mean we should have to?