Traveling with Sugar: Chronicles of a Global Epidemic

by Amy Moran-Thomas

Traveling with Sugar reframes the rising diabetes epidemic as part of a five-hundred-year-old global history of sweetness and power. Amid eerie injuries, changing bodies, amputated limbs, and untimely deaths, many people across the Caribbean and Central America simply call the affliction “sugar”—or, as some say in Belize, “traveling with sugar.” A decade in the making, this book unfolds as a series of crónicas—a word meaning both slow-moving story and slow-moving disease. It profiles the careful work of those “still fighting it” as they grapple with unequal material infrastructures and unsettling dilemmas. Facing a new incarnation of blood sugar, these individuals speak back to science and policy misrecognitions that have prematurely cast their lost limbs and deaths as normal. Their families’ arts of maintenance and repair illuminate ongoing struggles to survive and remake larger systems of food, land, technology, and medicine.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Anthropology, School

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2019

Reviews

[Joanne Manaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book from an anthropologist summarizing the challenges of diabetes in Belize. (It seems so specific when I write it like that), but the messages from the book can help diabetics in the modern world understand how fortunate we are, or help understand the fight against diseases in any other disadvantaged country. I learned a lot from this compassionate look at all the issues that arise when trying to deal with a devastating slow moving disease in a poor tropical country.

[Elham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Traveling with Sugar by Moran Thomas is truly an incredibly captivating narrative, filled with details that were new to me in many ways. First, the writing style was excellently structured and written in such a way that it felt like I was reading a novel. The first thing I did after reading the name Belize was to locate it on the map because I had no idea this country even existed.

The author uses the metaphorical meaning of the phrase "traveling with sugar" in the book to describe living with diabetes, which affects both the body and emotions of those living with the disease.

The colonial history of Belize was particularly interesting, especially the fact that slaves had been brought from Honduras and later, during the American Civil War, one of the sugar plantation owners fled to Belize and expanded the sugar industry. Furthermore, the way slaves and indigenous people were treated, especially the discussion about the conditions of hospital services and the differences between white people and others, was quite enlightening. This neglect towards patients led to the belief that the main reason for the spread of diabetes among these people was their genetics. In reality, diabetes, particularly in poorer countries, has become a global crisis not only due to eating habits and lack of healthcare but also because of global policies and economic systems that limit access to healthy food and medication.

The book contains many details, each reflecting the researcher’s deep understanding of diabetes in the medical, historical, and anthropological contexts.

[Tabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

INSTANT favourite. Cried in public reading the last chapter.

[Gabby R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an ethnography for all audiences… those familiar with anthropology, diabetes, and Belize, but also those intrigued by the topic without much prior knowledge. Moran-Thomas’ writing is incredible. The way she is able to weave ethnographic data into stories is an art. The text is easy to understand while at the same time theoretically dense for the academic. I’d highly recommend listening to this as an audiobook as well.

[Reilly Goldstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was horrifying yet super descriptive ethnography. I had no idea how bad the diabetes epidemic was in Belize. It makes you think what the future holds for our food supply with climate change. The imagery in this book stays with you.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

had to read this for class and i was actually pleasantly surprised. i really enjoyed this ethnography. the author shared a very emotional story about the struggles of those in Belize living with diabetes.

[Genevieve Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great case-study read for Public Health professionals and medical anthropologists

[Owen Fahey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite ethnography of mine providing complex critiques on diabetes and stark disparities between nation's in treating what modern-day medicine would consider a manageable chronic disease. Highly recommend

[Diane Bluegreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wish i had more energy and focus to give to this review. this book is so important and well written,researched and the subject lived with. i read a lot of medical/health history and am also diabetic,though more privileged than many who have it.

the author spent a lot of time in belize,and particularly in a small village,and got to know many people who were living with diabetes in a place where getting the proper help - dialysis,glucometer and test strips,prostethics and even healthy food,were mostly unavailable or too expensive to afford.

a history of colonialism and sugar plantations and the accompanying exploitation of certain peoples is explored,as well as a thorough overview of living with diabetes and its treatment or lack thereof.

along with all that,it is well-written and engaging and i'm glad that i stumbled upon it while having a membership on scribd. i also felt that i got to know many of these people through the loving and thorough descriptions made by the author.

i am going to recommend this to my local library.

[Emma Goebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool kids read their required texts for Medical Anthropology😤