Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum
Antonia Hylton
In the tradition of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks , a page-turning 93-year history of Crownsville Hospital, one of the nation’s last segregated asylums, that New York Times bestselling author Clint Smith describes as “a book that left me breathless. ”On a cold day in March of 1911, officials marched twelve Black men into the heart of a forest in Maryland. Under the supervision of a doctor, the men were forced to clear the land, pour cement, lay bricks, and harvest tobacco. more
368 pages, Hardcover
First published Legacy Lit
4.45
Rating
489
Ratings
96
Reviews
Antonia Hylton
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Antonia Hylton is the author of MADNESS: Race and Insanity in Jim Crow Asylum. She’s a Peabody and two-time Emmy award-winning Correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC and the cohost of the hit podcasts Southlake and Grapevine.From 2016 to 2020, Antonia was a Correspondent and Producer for Vice Media and HBO’s nightly news and documentary show, Vice News Tonight. Since 2019, she has also served as an annual judge for the American Mosaic Journalism Prize.
Antonia’s won several awards, including an Emmy for the HBO special episode on the family separation crisis, two Gracie Awards for her stories about women, a NAMIC Vision Award for reporting on violence and politics in Chicago, and two Front Page Awards for special reporting and breaking news.
Antonia graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 2015, where she received prizes for her writing and investigative research on race, mass incarceration, and the history of psychiatry.
Community reviews
My first thought reading this book is, Why can we not extend ourselves and do the right thing. It is just that simple. Leaving our most vulnerable to struggle in an Asylum and trying to forget these individuals are people with feelings, need for community, safety, and peace is wrong on every level. This book examines Crownsville Institute. It is extremely well written and researched. more
4. 5 Stars. Madness is the harrowing story of not only one of the last segregated asylums in the U. S. but also a look at how the mental health of Black people has been mistreated for decades. more
Hylton’s “Madness…” is superbly researched and wonderfully written. The interviews and anecdotes especially make this a vivid contribution to building a true History of America from the ground up. Day-to-day lives of African American patients / detainees are provided context by the daily lives and struggles of Black people in Maryland /Washington. Hylton weaves in the frayed thread of her own Family’s struggles with mental health issues. These pieces portray the human face of Black people’s psychological suffering that are woefully unknown for the most part. more
Had the opportunity to read the book early. It is gripping, illuminating and heart breaking. The author achieves the feat of presenting a piece of work that is an extremely well researched account of history that is also deeply personal. I love a book that helps me learn or that makes me feel, and this book does both. It’s an important book covering a grossly undercovered topic, and I was glad to find it an enjoyable, digestible read at the same time. more
I absolutely cannot wait for the rest of this book. What an incredibly tragic glimpse into the world of mental health, mental illness and the horrors endured by the African American population during the early 1900s. Before this excerpt I had no idea that Crownsville existed but I now intend to read everything I can find about the institution. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this. I can already tell it will be a 5star read for me. more
Antonia Hylton's "Madness" takes readers on an eye-opening journey through the haunting history of Crownsville Hospital, one of the last segregated asylums with surviving records, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. With meticulous research and a deep emotional investment, Hylton brilliantly uncovers the 93-year-old history of this institution, providing a vital perspective on the intersection of race, mental health, and the enduring legacy of slavery. "Madness" serves as a vital resource for readers seeking a comprehensive understanding of the history of mental health treatment in America from a Black perspective. Antonia Hylton's eloquent storytelling and her unyielding commitment to shedding light on the dark corners of mental health history make this book a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of race and mental health. Hylton chronicles the stories of Black families whose mental health was profoundly affected as they struggled, often in vain, to find safety and support. more
This book was such a difficult read…not the quality of the book but the content. The information provided was so eye opening but also sad because of the disparity in mental health services and care between the different races. Crownsville hospital began with such evil intentions and so many tried to change the environment over time but white supremacy is so insidious and hard to get rid of that when you mange to do so…it’s too late. I encourage everyone to read this book, confront the realities of the availability of mental health services over the years, how it’s dealt within familial spaces and how it’s handled within the black community. more
This was such an engrossing read. As someone with family a small drive from Crownville, MD, I've been aware of the existence of Crownville but not the history until now. Once I started reading this, I couldn't put it down. I finished this in less than 24 hours. We tend to think of the past in such a distant way. more
Really, really well written and narrated account of the systemic racism that has infected mental health care from its beginnings until now. The personal stories of the individuals who worked at Crownsville and that of the author were very riveting. . more
A heartbreaking but necessary look into racism and mental health depicted through Crownsville Hospital, a Jim Crow asylum. This book was very well researched and written. I thought the personal interviews and stories by former staff and family members really gave the story to life and made the all the research have more depth. Thank you Legacy Lit for the complimentary copy. more
A great work of investigative journalism, Antonia Hylton’s Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum is by equal measures incredibly engrossing and expectedly unsettling. Hylton talks her own familial struggles with mental health issues: the hard truths and the painful realities she encountered before and during the writing of this book. It allows for her to come across as a very sympathetic author, speaking with compassion and concern on a difficult and sensitive subject. When one considers how horribly the United States has historically treated mentally ill patients (especially those institutionalized) in the early and mid 1900s, it’s not difficult to imagine just how much worse black patients had it. Even with that in mind, so many of the individual stories are downright heartbreaking. more
Madness was clearly meticulously researched. It was hard hitting, deeply upsetting, and thought provoking. Although I did find its delivery moderately dry at times, this was not always a prevalent factor. I strongly believe it is a must read for everyone. . more
For how thorough and informative Madness is it’s incredibly easy to read and digest. Hylton manages to cover everything that contributed to the facility; from the slaves who were forced to build it to the larger social and political climate that contributed to what happened there and why. While there were a lot of horrors outlined within this book there were accomplishments as well. So much black excellence and so many ground breaking individuals highlighted as well. Many of the first black doctors and nurses graduating from HBCUs passed through Crownsville’s doors, making Herculean efforts to save their own people. more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of Madness. This book is written by a reporter about mental illness and one particular institution; as expected, it is well researched and documented. Being white and coming from the Midwest, I had never heard of Crownsville State Hospital. Sadly, I was not totally surprised by the actions taken towards institutionalized patients there. All persons deserve respect, and I feel that Ms. more
Very impactful and important nonfiction book is a call to action in addressing mental health in our communities. . more
This is not just a thoroughly researched history of Crownsville Institution in MD, but also an examination of the history of mental health in the black community. I cried twice reading it. I strongly suggest you add this to the top of your list. . more
This is a very important and well-written book that puts a spotlight on a part of American history which has been neglected. It provided a very resonant counterpoint to the book by Jeffrey Lieberman that I just read about the current state of knowledge and treatment for schizophrenia. The history of American asylums in general has been completely neglected, and access to patient records even from the 1800s are tied up in overly rigid medical records privacy laws - how can the patient records of my great-great-grandfather who died in 1925 require a court order for me to see. In addition, the asylum that is the focus of this book is in Maryland, where I now live, and is local history for me. Hylton shines a light on how a segregated asylum like Crownsville was essentially an arm of the criminal justice system. more
Continued RacismThe research is impressive and educates many, such as myself, that had no idea of the cruelty, however; I see prejudice displayed throughout the book in such that Black is written with a capital letter but white is all lower case. How are we ever going to get past the hatred for each other if little things such as how a word is written continues to act as a dagger to others. It's terrible that the historic government allowed people to be treated so inhumanely but to continue to cut each other with words and actions, insignificant as it may seem, will only prolong the resentment and prevent healing and love to prevail. more
The author takes us on a compelling journey through 93-years of history at one of the nation’s last segregated asylums Crownsville State Hospital. The building of Crownsville became official after twelve Black men under the supervision of a doctor, were forced to clear land, pour cement, lay bricks, and harvest tobacco. When construction finished, they became the first twelve patients of the state’s Hospital for the Negro Insane. For centuries, Black patients have been absent from our history books. Madness transports readers behind the brick walls of a Jim Crow asylum. more
It's a heavy book but very readable. As someone who often has a hard time sticking with nonfiction, even when the subject matter is compelling, I appreciated how the author balanced the stories of patients, employees, family members, etc. with the research-based historical narrative. The through line of Faye Belt's concurrent feelings of pride and frustration at the ways in which Crownsville served its patients is really illustrative of the institution's history. Many people passed through trying to do the right thing but were ultimately met with systemic dysfunction at best and outright racism and violence at worst. more
What is most striking about this at times unbelievable history is that it was the circumstantial black workers who lead the way in managing to squeeze anything good and productive out of the institution. What began under white management and dismissive intention ended up being as helpful under black management as it could possibly be given the range of constraints. Equal parts horrifying and inspiring depending on how you look at it. more
This nonfiction account delving into the history of Crownsville Hospital is excellently written. The amount of research that Hylton must have done to write this book is impressive, along with her concise way of putting it together. You can tell that she also has a lot of compassion for the patients of the asylum, along with those that ran the facility. I did not realize that as the asylum populations dwindled in the USA, the prison populations grew. Not a surprising fact, just something I never thought about before. more
This book was incredible. Antonia Hylton destigmatizes mental illness and hospitalization, while also criticizing the historical and current mistreatment of Black people by mental healthcare systems. Who does deinstitutionalization benefit most. Drawing parallels between the decline of asylums and the rise of mass incarceration was a connection I had never before considered. I appreciate the nuance and vulnerability with which Hylton handles her investigation. more
Well researched, but absolutely gut wrenching. more
I received an ARC of this & a finished copy from the publishers for my honest opinion. This is a hard book to read and will be super triggering for certain demographics. Just reading about how black people were put into asylums (when they didn’t need to be there to begin with) and how they were treated was just triggering; and I had to put the book down several times. It is a bit confusing because it does go back and forth in the timeline of Crownsville, but overall it is a book that I think everyone needs to read. . more
Hylton's journalistic and storytelling prowess are in full effect. This is a MUST READ for anyone who cares about justice, mental healthcare access, history, people. This book affected me more than I expected. I am a Black woman who struggles as several of the patients described by Hylton did. I want my whole family (all 3 of them) to read this, but they won't. more
When I picked this book I was expecting to find descriptions of neglect or abuse in a psychiatric hospital built to house Black patients in the early 20th century, and it DOES have that, BUT this book is much more than that. Besides the expected racist directors and doctors, there were also a good many people who tried their best to bring a modicum of dignity and true care to Crownsville. many were too overwhelmed by the forces stacked against them, but throughout the book there are the stories of those who tried to make a difference woven in through the narrative of of inequality and hardship. I have read several books lately that dovetail nicely to show how various institutions run by the government enforce racial divides and perpetuate labor exploitation to fill the void left when slavery was outlawed. If you want to read more I also recommend Of Greed and Glory by Deborah G. more
Hylton accomplishes so many things in this book. To begin with it is a frustrating tale to tell - madness and insanity is faught with control, surviellance, and punitative confinement based on a nonconformity to a consensus reality. Made all the more dangerous and coerversive when one layers upon white supremacy and racialized science - where treatment is nonexistent and the hospital staff become jailers more than healers. Crownsville Hospital in Maryland was constructed in 1911 by the patients it would house. More plantation than hospital, the buildings, the grounds, and the funding all came from black labor. more
I am well aware of the disparity in physical and mental health care between different cultures, particularly white and African Americans. However, I had never heard of Crownsville State Hospital, and I lived outside Washington, DC for over 30 years. This wonderfully written book discloses how the State of Maryland forced twelve Black men in 1911 into the forest and forced them to clear the land, pour cement and lay bricks for what was to become the Hospital for the Negro Insane, where they became the first patients. The author tells the meticulously detailed history of the Crownsville Hospital, one of the last segregated asylums with surviving records and a campus that still stands in Anne Arundel County, MD. , although it was forced to close in 2004. more