A review by verbamatic
Madness in Civilization: The Cultural History of Insanity by Andrew Scull

5.0

A jarring account of madness, as biased as it is artistic. This treatise is more of a cry for social change than a dry academic manuscript. A cynical, jabbing exposé of humanity's struggles with the unknown, which ultimately and irrevocably continued to worsen the original problem, rather than making it better - often in the interests of money, power and status, as is often the case. A wonderful read for those contemplating the human rights of the mentally ill, a dramatic and incredibly empowering offer for the mentally ill themselves. For all the shortcomings of the writing - often ranting and at times confusing prose, this deserves the 5 stars I gave it. A riveting experience.