First published 2023
Linda Villarosa examines how racism infiltrates American healthcare and shortens Black lives. The New York Times Magazine writer builds her case through medical studies, environmental data, and personal accounts. She shows how slavery-era myths about Black bodies still appear in medical textbooks. She documents worse treatment for Black patients across hospital systems. She reveals how Black communities bear the burden of pollution and environmental hazards. Most critically, she explains how daily exposure to discrimination ages Black people faster than their white peers. Villarosa connects these systemic failures to a stark reality: Black Americans get sicker younger and die sooner. Her investigation moves from historical medical practices to current health outcomes, weaving together research and human stories to show how racial bias operates at every level of healthcare.
Genres: american, african-american, non-fiction, health, history-of-medicine, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, social-commentary
Setting: America
Period: 21st-century
288 pages · Paperback · Vintage
Content warnings: medical-trauma, racism