Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton

7 reviews

lisettemarie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Abortion

thoughtsfromtheafro's review

dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

4.25

A much needed (and appreciated) spotlight on a dark institution and long period of time in my community, county and state’s history. Very data and research focused/centered, which I loved, but it’s missing some personal/local depth narratively; there are some interspersed, but as segues into additional context, not in a way that adds “meat” to the bones of the data.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture and Violence

lizzie_winn's review

dark fast-paced

5.0

This was ambitious in scope and it did not disappoint! Using oral histories and her own experiences as well as archival sources, Hylton shows how Black Americans with mental health challenges or struggles with poverty or encounters with the police or who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time where institutionalized and pushed to the margins of society. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, and Classism

evawondergem's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and War

wanderlustsleeping's review against another edition

Unfortunately, this felt just like a list of the usual horrifying and grotesque racism of the time. I applaud the author for taking this on, as they clearly did immense research. This book will benefit some readers, even if it didn’t add anything new for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence

ktdakotareads's review

dark informative sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

shereadytoread's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad

5.0

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. Crownsville State Hospital closed during my lifetime (probably the lifetime of anyone reading this as well). Interviews with family members of former patients and with former employees, along with historical archives saved at the last minute have culminated in this amazing work. 

It not only tells the history of the asylum but also discusses the history of mental health treatment, institutions and the continued failures of both asylums and community care. It discussed the criminalization of mental health policies and the increased carceral response to poor and mentally ill community members. Something that strikes me most was a portion in which someone interviewed discussed they were running out of time to tell this story as those who lived it were passing away. How much of our lives and history are loss because there is no one to carry the story? What stories are we carrying? I expect that this is a read I will revisit in the futures. 

Disclaimer: I received a free finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual assault