- I picked up MADNESS because I was both shocked and not shocked to have ever heard of Crownsville, which is more or less in my backyard. I am grateful Hylton wrote this book and spoke to people who had lived and worked there, as those people are now quite old.
- Hylton draws a straight line through slavery to institutionalization to industrial prisons, and the collective mental health of Black Americans throughout the decades.
- It is really incredible what Hylton has unearthed here, amplifying the work locals have done to ensure that those who lived and died at Crownsville are not forgotten.