In the tradition of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks , a compelling 93-year history of Crownsville Hospital, one of the nation’s last segregated asylums, told by an award-winning journalist on her decade-long search for sanity in America’s mental healthcare system. 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.

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 listeners behind the brick walls of a Jim Crow asylum.

In Madness , Peabody and Emmy award-winning journalist Antonia Hylton tells the 93-year-old history of Crownsville Hospital, one of the last segregated asylums with surviving records and a campus that still stands to this day in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. She blends the intimate tales of patients and employees whose lives were shaped by Crownsville with a decade-worth of investigative research and archival documents. Madness chronicles the stories of Black families whose mental health suffered as they tried, and sometimes failed, to find safety and dignity.

Hylton also grapples with her own family’s experiences with mental illness, and the secrecy and shame that it reproduced for generations. As Crownsville Hospital grew from an antebellum-style work camp to a tiny city sitting on 1,500 acres, the institution became a microcosm of America’s evolving battles over slavery, racial integration, and civil rights. During its peak years, the hospital’s wards were overflowing with almost 2,700 patients.

By the end of the 20th-century, the asylum faded from view as prisons and jails became America’s new focus. In Madness, Hylton traces the legacy of slavery to the treatment of Black people’s bodies and minds in our current mental healthcare system. It is a captivating and heartbreaking meditation on how America decides who is sick or criminal, and who is worthy of our care or irredeemable.

At the intersection of race, mental health, and systemic injustice lies an untold story that defies time and place. 'Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum' delves deep into the unsettling truths of an era when racial prejudices permeated even the most vulnerable corners of society. In exploring the intricate narratives of individuals who suffered injustices during the Jim Crow era, the book reveals both the suffering and resilience of those subjected to systemic oppression.

Race profoundly influenced the treatment and diagnosis of mental illnesses during the Jim Crow era. Narratives of resilience emerge amidst the challenging conditions faced by institutionalized individuals. This book sheds light on historical injustices urging a contemporary reflection on mental health and race.

The book dissects the historical intricacies of a racialized mental health system during the Jim Crow era revealing how racial biases were ingrained in the treatment and diagnosis of patients within asylums. By exposing these biases it unveils the deceptive practices that marginalized individuals faced. Through meticulous research it chronicles the personal stories of those who lived through the adversities of this era.

Their narratives provide a poignant reminder of the structural inequities ingrained in mental health care where racial identity dictated the quality and nature of treatment offered to vulnerable individuals. The asylum serves as a microcosm for societal attitudes toward race and madness during a time when segregation was deemed acceptable and biases were institutionalized. This exploration prompts readers to reflect on the past while contemplating the indelible impact on present-day approaches to mental health care.

By confronting the uncomfortable truths of history 'Madness' challenges readers to acknowledge the resilience of those affected by systemic racism. It underscores the necessity of addressing the intersectionality of race and mental health in order to foster reconciliation and understanding. This narrative evokes empathy and understanding urging society to confront uncomfortable realities.

By recognizing historical mistakes readers are empowered to advocate for more compassionate equitable mental health systems free from the prejudices of the past.

'Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum' brings an often-overlooked historical perspective to the forefront intricately blending history with profound personal narratives of resilience Its meticulously researched exploration makes it an invaluable resource for educators and readers seeking to understand the complexities of race mental health and systemic oppression during the Jim Crow era The book's ability to connect historical events with contemporary issues stands as a vital element that engages readers urging them to reflect on the intersectionality of race and mental health today.