A review by grape_jelly
Superior: The Return of Race Science by Angela Saini

3.0

Let me preface this with I DO RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. I picked it up, partly because I had read [b:Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story|31869108|Inferior How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story|Angela Saini|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483642947l/31869108._SY75_.jpg|52540217] and enjoyed it, and partly because a recent anti-racism workshop for my class was derailed by a few of my classmates who were resistant to the idea that racial categories might not be helpful in medical research and in subsequent medical recommendations. In fact, my classmates’ central critique was about blood pressure medications, which Saini does address in her book. I think Saini’s writing and research did give me many new ideas and thoughts about medical research, the study of human genetics, and human origins more broadly. I particularly enjoyed her conversation with Jay Kaufman, an epidemiologist who dissects some common errors researchers make when interpreting and adjusting their (race-based) data.

Now, the reason for the three stars: it’s a dry book. Saini’s wit shines through at times, but a lot of the book is comprised of direct quotes from other writings or from her interviews. Saini is a good writer - I just wish more of the book was written in her voice. It was easy to lose track of names as I was reading, and the information was dense. It felt like a slog getting through the chapters at times. Nevertheless, I’m glad that I read this book, and I do think it is a valuable read.