Understanding Eugenics: The U.S. and Nazi Plans to Shape the Gene Pool & Control the Population

by Joe Biel

The "science" of eugenics—by which the genetic makeup of a population is controlled by who does and doesn't reproduce—is forever tied in popular memory with Nazi Germany. But the practice began in late 19th-century England, and was widely embraced in the US, Canada, and Europe. As a result, policies were enacted that touched on segregation, marriage, birth control, and genocide. Eugenicists were obsessed with race and disability—many current genetic-testing practices are a continuation of that unfortunate era. This zine gives a harrowing hidden history and present state of eugenics, wrought with its moral and scientific implications.

64 pages, Paperback

Published May 12, 2020

About the author

Joe Biel is a writer, activist, journalist, filmmaker, and publisher. He is the founder and co-owner of Microcosm Publishing and co-founder of the Portland Zine Symposium. He often tours the U.S. with his books and films. He has been featured in the Utne Reader, Portland Mercury, Oregonian, Broken Pencil, Readymade, and Bicycle Times.

Reviews

[K. Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief but unflinching look at the history of eugenics. The information was great - like how the eugenics movement was largely headed by men who weren't scientists, and grew in America before the Nazis adopted many of its ideas in WWII. This booklet also clearly explained WHY eugenics, aside from being a false science, simply does not work/get results. Instead, social programs are key to lessen the crime/poverty/substance abuse in a citizen population. (We are shocked.)

I also appreciated the close look at how the US government engaged in eugenics, from passing laws to sterilizing its citizens, an act it committed far too recently. What a great cautionary tale to remember. When you know the horrors your government has committed against its citizens in the past, it kills your naïveté as to what they can do today.