carolynf's review against another edition
4.0
This was the most disturbing history book that I've read in a looong time. First it discusses the horrible medical experiments conducted on slaves in antebellum days, some of which make those Nazi experiments look like nothing at all. Then it moves into the experiments and graverobbing that free African Americans were more vulnerable to, due to poverty and racism. Then it wraps up with the examples of racist medical practices in the modern day plus medical abuses practiced in prisons, which are disproportionately populated by African Americans. Not a fun read by any means but an interesting side of American History that I had only been partially aware of previously.
sarah_logan8's review against another edition
5.0
Incredibly disturbing and profound look at the racist history of medicine. Should be required reading for all those in health care and policy.
nuggetworldpeace's review against another edition
3.0
Painful to read, mostly for the extensive catalog of prejudices and exploitation Black folks have suffered at the hands of medical research, but also because there’s some questionable editorializing (e.g., asking if the forced treatment of TB is a slippery slope towards imprisoning people who have alcohol use disorder [???]). There has also been some question about the veracity of a handful of the facts presented (https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/books/review/Emanuel.t.html), which might be reasonable for such an in-depth book, but I wish overall the handling of this important topic was less marred by arguments and facts that could be so easily attacked.
shellig93's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Medical content, Injury/injury detail, Slavery, Racism, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Chronic illness
sujata's review against another edition
3.0
lots of good stuff in here but not enough context of the systemic and societal and other inputs. And also according to many reviews,some questionable facts. But overall the facts are that those that are marginalized either by race and/or class,are more likely to be taken advantage of and that still happens in the US and certainly on a global scale when it comes to health.
spookyjane's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
smtwright's review against another edition
Required reading for all health care providers and biomedical researchers. Understanding where we've come from can help us move to a better way of conducting research ethically, morally, and safely for black Americans and all people.