Fatal Invention

Dorothy Roberts is just brilliant. I need more people to read her so we can talk about her work. Years ago I read [b:Killing the Black Body 229445 Killing the Black Body Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty Dorothy Roberts https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388801372l/229445.SY75.jpg 222199], and it really challenged my understanding of how racism and classism are used to portray certain women as inherently unfit for and undeserving of motherhood. Fatal Invention is both very different and not at all. Here Roberts shows how some scientists grasp at straws to “prove” there are biological differences between socially constructed races. In the 21st Century, genomic science in particular has been used to separate humans into biological races, despite the Human Genome Project finding far more genetic variation within races than between races. Billions are funneled into research that simultaneously 1) desperately hunts for and 2) assumes as incontrovertible truth, genetic differences between races. Instead of helping vulnerable communities access clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and well-funded schools and hospitals, institutional problems are explained away at the molecular level. Genes become a facade for racist policies to hide behind in a supposedly colorblind, postracial society. Defining race as biological/genetic instead of social/political absolves the state of responsibility to confront racial gaps in housing, education, employment, and healthcare. During a pandemic with racial disparities, this is an especially vital topic. But really, it's hard to summarize this book. Roberts covers a ton of ground. Her arguments are nuanced and layered. It can get dense, but I find her writing beautiful.It'll be interesting to see how Fatal Invention compares to [b:Medical Apartheid 114192 Medical Apartheid The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present Harriet A. Washington https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387667004l/114192.SY75.jpg 109960], which I've been putting off because I'm squeamish and scared. For another book about how science is used to justify social hierarchies and their troubling outcomes, try [b:Delusions of Gender 9468462 Delusions of Gender How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference Cordelia Fine https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328288818l/9468462.SY75.jpg 12635310].