jmrhike's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

alexandrabree's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was a wonderful introduction into the world of 'Red Markets', I was hoping for some more dramatic and seedy stories.

There were a lot of difficult stories and ambitious morals, but we were talking about the coercive practices of harvesting kidneys from the destitue and deviststingly poor. What was described as a grey zone.

Not the black market, being kidnapped in a taxi cab and cut open and dumped in front of some hospital or left in a bathtub. The sensationalism is morbid but also enticing to me (terrible but true), would totally recommend, but also, there are so many amazing podcasts on this topic that probe just that much deeper and more graphic.

ancoetsu's review against another edition

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4.0

scott carney is clearly a brave soul. he is the champion of many who are adversely affected by the scandals that plague the red market. the book sheds light on the little, or sometimes entirely, unknown aspects of the red market. the picture in the afterword speaks volumes and drove the whole feel of the book home. a must read for those who think they fight the good fight and those who turn the other cheek.

cnieszku's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.5

ktitus25's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.5

sinitron420's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious fast-paced

4.25

daisy_thomson's review against another edition

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dark informative medium-paced

4.0

nancy333's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.0

kaitlinwix's review against another edition

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dark informative

3.75

I enjoyed this book but I've also heard some criticisms of the author's journalistic integrity so I took the work with a grain of salt.

the_epi_reader's review against another edition

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4.0

Lots of things happen behind closed doors including the sale of human skeletons for medical school anatomy classes, falsifying the origin of organs for transplants, and the price of blood transfusions in India being more than a monetary cost. The Red Market covers an assortment of topics on how human tissue is traded around the world including different means of becoming a parent - through adoption, in vitro fertilization (IVF), or surrogacy. In addition, Carney recounts his experience with the risks of some human drug trials, where hair is gathered for hair transplants, and the future of stem cell research in organ replacement.

Based on Carney’s residency in India, many of the chapters focus on the processes of human tissue transfer in India, and how they impact European countries and/or the U.S. While I did learn a lot, I felt that Carney focused too much on his opinion rather than fact driven knowledge, some chapters more-so than others. Carney emphasizes that the human tissue industry not only takes advantage of individuals living in poverty but broken health systems where people cannot afford to save their own lives, or have a child, without dipping into systems where prices are more reasonable. If you’re interested in medicine, ethics, or cultural studies Red Market is the book for you!