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A review by kdahlo
Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-First Century by Dorothy Roberts
5.0
Speaking as someone who works directly with human genomic data and studies evolution in humans, I think this book is essential reading for the field. Even though this book is now several years old it is shockingly prescient, I was continually amazed that a writer thinking through these problems in 2010 would be so readily able to predict what the science and politics of race would look like in 2019. I certainly wasn't able to see the writing on the wall at that time, but Dorothy Roberts did.
Whether you are a scientist, or just want to better understand how science can act to reinforce ideas of race and racism, this book is meticulously researched and will give you nearly everything you might need to know. I was seriously impressed and would really like to participate in a course built around this book.
My one caveat is that it is a dense book with a lot of information, not a quick breezy read. Expect to read a chapter and then take a break to digest. It took me over a month to read it (taking some breaks to read other books), but I kept coming back for the great ideas and insights. Truly one of the best books I've read and super relevant to my work.
Whether you are a scientist, or just want to better understand how science can act to reinforce ideas of race and racism, this book is meticulously researched and will give you nearly everything you might need to know. I was seriously impressed and would really like to participate in a course built around this book.
My one caveat is that it is a dense book with a lot of information, not a quick breezy read. Expect to read a chapter and then take a break to digest. It took me over a month to read it (taking some breaks to read other books), but I kept coming back for the great ideas and insights. Truly one of the best books I've read and super relevant to my work.