A review by tamick
Foul Bodies: Cleanliness in Early America by Kathleen M. Brown

3.0

I struggle with giving this book a three because Brown is well-researched and erudite on her topic. This rating should definitely not be criticizing the book’s academic quality either. Rather I have this book a 3 star review for two reasons. First, Brown’s work, though centered in the realm of Atlantic history, relies heavily on European and American upper class accounts, giving the findings a discernible Eurocentric bent. Secondly, and more importantly, Brown’s book is extraordinarily expansive. She is knowledgeable on a number of topics across a large expanse of time, but this has a drawback in that it limits the book’s ability to focus on specific topics within her grand narrative.