Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-first Century

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the discussions of the research into the genomic basis for determining race. This is a good source to help you understand the state of this research. It describes how the negative effects on the health of people of color from years of social and political repression have been conflated with the idea that genes are responsible. This leads to the belief that human beings can be divided into distinct races that are genetically distinct from one another. The book traces the historical development of racial identities and describes how race is a fluid idea. For example, the number of races that the US recognizes now for demographic purposes are very different from the racial categories used at different times in history demonstrating that race is a political and social construct, not a biological one.

This book is excellent. Its delivery is from a factual standpoint which makes the book even better than can be imagined. This book is required reading for everyone so that you acquain yourself with the historical, factual things about our great USA. This book is even more required reading for the young, because it is with the young that, perhaps, things will change. Dorothy Roberts leaves no stone unturned in her thesis. This book is concise and straight to the point. It visits the past that factually was, and the present that factually is. This book should not be ignored. It is an excellent read. It is and can be an enlightened read. Again, it is a read that is necessary in order to change the course of a history that has too long been perpetuated. Definitely recommend this book for everyone!!!

A very complex argument clearly exposed. It is not an easy read though — it requires attention, diligence, and an open mind. Dense, well researched, intense, interesting. It is a lesson on academic writing too — Robert's always presents all of the sides of the argument clearly explaining why she thinks the way she does. After having read it I realized how the idea of race is ingrained in social and political life much more than I thought.

So far, it's really interesting. However, the print is really small. I have some vision issues so reading it is a bit of a struggle. As for the contents of the book itself, I'll say more when I've read more.

Though filled with fairly technical medical terminology, the book is readable and packed with insights into ideas that continue to plague the study of human flourishing. It's as if America got rid of its false narrative about race, then substituted another one hiding under a thin coat of science. Highly recommended.

So much is being written now about race, but this book is the best meticulously researched and clearly written answer to the questions about what really is race that I've seen. Dorothy Roberts writes compellingly and takes a historical and scientific tour of what the understanding of race has been and is now. Don't miss it!

Rock solid information--intelligent and accessible, well laid out chapters each one building on the next till the end where your heart is brought to its knees. "Radical restructuring of our society, we must choose the path of common humanity and social change"

This book challenged the way I think about race. It’s very hard to study race as there is no biological way to categorize people into race. I learned there is more genetic diversity among populations as opposed to between populations. The author makes the claim that because ancestry is hard to trace bc of migration, and because of the random nature that genes can be passed down, that there are no genes associated with certain races. I think this is by virtue of the fact that the concept of race is not founded in biology. The arguments she makes, I feel undermine the role that genes do play in disease and prevalence in specific populations. To this point, she says the environment has a larger impact on clinical outcomes than genetic makeup. I dont think social should be undermined and I also believe that certain genes, mutations, etc can directly impact disease state. She makes the argument that race shouldn’t be considered when studying drugs which I now agree with. What. Is a toxicity in one race should be considered toxic for another. It’s easier for companies to prescribe a fix for an issue that’s prevalent in minority communities than actually studying the root cause of the poor outcome. It definitely changed my perspective on many aspects of genetics but i don’t fully comprehend or agree with other arguments made

Dorothy Roberts makes the very strong case here . I wasn't sure all the facts on the medical side were facts speaking as a retired medic myself so if doubt I would check elsewhere but having said that this was a useful read .

Very interesting and informative book regarding the issue of race in America.