The Modern Mind

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Charleston Library Society

Event Image Sizing for Web - Devil's Castle 2.12.26

The Devil's Castle 02.12.26

February 12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

$10.00 – $15.00

While it’s a topic more broadly discussed in modern society, mental health was once not what it is today. Join author and poet Susanne Paola Antonetta for an in-depth review of her investigation into the forgotten history of eugenics and its links to present-day psychiatry. With her recent release, The Devil’s Castle, Antonetta not only unearths the failures of our past but also envisions a more compassionate, enlightened approach to consciousness and mental health care. This is a story of tragedy, resilience, and hope—a rallying cry for change that dares to challenge the limits of how we define and support the human mind.

If you are unable to attend the event but would like to purchase one or more signed copies, please visit Buxton Books!

About the Book

In 1939, the eugenics movement was growing throughout the West did its worst in Nazi Germany. Through the Aktion T4 euthanasia program, five asylums and an abandoned jail were transformed into gas chambers. Tens of thousands of lives—predominantly adults with neuropsychiatric conditions—were extinguished in those structures, ultimately paving the way for the horrors of the Holocaust. Interlacing her experiences of psychosis with the complex history of psychiatry, Antonetta sheds light on the intersections of madness and societal perceptions of mental difference. She brings to life the stories of Paul Schreber and Dorothea Buck, two historical figures who act as models for mind care and acceptance. This gripping exploration traverses the spectrum of neurodiversity, from the devastating consequences of dehumanization to the transformative potential of understanding and acceptance.

About the Author

Susanne Paola Antonetta is the author of The Terrible Unlikelihood of Our Being Here and numerous other works of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Her accolades include a New York Times Notable Book, an American Book Award, a Library Journal Best Science book, and others. She writes for Psychology Today, The New York Times, Ms., The Huffington Post, The UK Independent, The Hill, Orion, and The New Republic and has been featured on CNN. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina.