A review by derry
The Red Market: On the Trail of the World's Organ Brokers, Bone Thieves, Blood Farmers, and Child Traffickers, by Scott Carney
4.0
A very interesting dive into red markets- the endlessly popular trade of human body parts and flesh. Think organs, blood, bone, but also hair, eggs, and children.
If you're squeamish, this book probably isn't for you.
The content of this book were absolutely fascinating to me. Things I'd never even considered, like how to get hold of blood for medical use in a society that isn't keen on blood donation, were throughly explored and examined and made me question my morals. Carney shows as much as both sides of the market as is seemingly possible, and is able to weave a narrative of his own experiences that made this non-fiction book easier to read. I've never been a big non-fiction reader if that wasn't obvious.
At times I thought Carney was a little bit repetitive in his moral dillemas, but this is mostly because the moral quandries of each of these markets is rather similar. Ultimately, can parts of the human body ever be sold without exploitation? Should they? Would altruistic donations alone be enough? If these questions grab your attention, this book is for you.
TLDR: Brilliant exploration of the black market trade surrounding human flesh, everything from human eggs to hair.
If you're squeamish, this book probably isn't for you.
The content of this book were absolutely fascinating to me. Things I'd never even considered, like how to get hold of blood for medical use in a society that isn't keen on blood donation, were throughly explored and examined and made me question my morals. Carney shows as much as both sides of the market as is seemingly possible, and is able to weave a narrative of his own experiences that made this non-fiction book easier to read. I've never been a big non-fiction reader if that wasn't obvious.
At times I thought Carney was a little bit repetitive in his moral dillemas, but this is mostly because the moral quandries of each of these markets is rather similar. Ultimately, can parts of the human body ever be sold without exploitation? Should they? Would altruistic donations alone be enough? If these questions grab your attention, this book is for you.
TLDR: Brilliant exploration of the black market trade surrounding human flesh, everything from human eggs to hair.