Reviews tagging 'Racism'
The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetuated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean
12 reviews
gk1412's review
3.5
Graphic: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Antisemitism, Death, Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Deportation, Hate crime, Transphobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Violence
mfrisk's review
3.0
I note this because while I find the overall subject interesting and also important in terms of the fields of science, medicine, and fields which intersect with these areas I don’t feel like these stories were given the appropriate weight and critical lens. As many reviewers mention inappropriate terminology is used for a variety of marginalized populations within this book and I often felt the author was trying to get a laugh out of us (the readers) more than they were working to connect the story to their larger point of morality and ethics. The podcast plugs were annoying but not as egregious as the lack of depth certain stories were given when they covered very sensitive topics. It may not have hurt for their to be additional commentary from other folks especially in stories where marginalized populations were involved and that was only touched on a surface level. I’ve listened to the podcast as well after reading some stories in this book and it has similar issues seen in this book.
Also want to add this book could have used a more central defining element or at least narrowing down to specific field or some other way to make this more focused. It often was confusing that the stories felt so disconnected and the conclusion doesn’t quite pull together the ideas enough.
Graphic: Medical content, Slavery, Self harm, Misogyny, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Torture, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Murder, Racism, and Sexism
lauramegan's review
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Racism, and Slavery
monstersinspace's review
3.5
Graphic: Medical content, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Ableism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Blood, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Slavery, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Racism, and Suicide
chloethonus's review
4.75
My only critique is some outdated language like calling Native Americans "Indians" and the prologue about Cleopatra being very clumsy. The prologue is made up of information that can't be proven which is a questionable start for this book. The language, however, bothers me more. Native Americans should be respected and referred to using proper terms that do not have to do with the entirely unrelated nation of Indian. Native American, indigenous peoples, tribe name, there are a lot of options.
Graphic: Medical trauma and Slavery
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Torture, Terminal illness, and Suicide
Minor: Misogyny
phoebemurtagh's review
3.5
They some things shouldn't be attempted by the faint of heart or squeamish. As a squeamish person myself, I'd like to refine that: you can most certainly attempt, but you might need to skim through the physical descriptions of how to perform an ice pick lobotomy.
This was a good collection of scientists gone bad: some of the stories were disturbing and familiar ones I'd already heard, while some were disturbing and new. My only criticisms would be that while such a book must necessarily take a dark sense of humor, I found the author's attempts at levity in the face of evil just a little irreverent sometimes. More disappointingly, though, the author refers to bunk science as "voodoo" in at least one place; it's a small thing, but perpetuating a stereotype that African disaporic religious traditions that developed as a result of American slavery are somehow 'less valid' and the equivalent of bad science is below the mark for any journalist.
All in all, I preferred The Disappearing Spoon, but this is a good book, too.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Gore, Classism, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Death, Animal cruelty, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
panthalassa's review
3.5
Graphic: Sexism, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Slavery, Transphobia, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mental illness, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Deadnaming, Grief, and Dysphoria
Minor: Rape, Addiction, and Abortion
laurenkimoto's review
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Transphobia, Torture, and Slavery
Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Genocide, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Torture, Suicide, War, and Toxic relationship
clarabooksit's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Slavery, Dysphoria, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Classism, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racism, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Genocide, Colonisation, Child abuse, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism
nyearthmama's review
Graphic: Slavery, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Racism