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A review by phire
Who Is Wellness For?: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind by Fariha Róisín
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Very frustrated by this book. I agree with and care about the premise, that wellness as a concept has been co-opted into individualistic solutions based in capitalist consumption, that western science holds itself up as the pinnacle of rational thought and disdains traditional knowledge about holistic wellness as a means of control, that there is a deep thread of appropriation and colonization that runs through our current understanding of health.
Unfortunately, I found the arguments in support of the thesis sloppy and internally inconsistent and lacking rigour, the prose meandering and disjointed, and the overall narrative lacking direction. The book is trying to grapple with the colonial history of wellness, and I mainly find myself wanting more history and fewer assertions about the outcome of that history. Realized I was dreading picking it up back up every time I put it down so it’s time to cut my losses.
Unfortunately, I found the arguments in support of the thesis sloppy and internally inconsistent and lacking rigour, the prose meandering and disjointed, and the overall narrative lacking direction. The book is trying to grapple with the colonial history of wellness, and I mainly find myself wanting more history and fewer assertions about the outcome of that history. Realized I was dreading picking it up back up every time I put it down so it’s time to cut my losses.