Sickening: Anti-Black Racism and Health Disparities in the United States

by Anne Pollock

An event-by-event look at how institutionalized racism harms the health of African Americans in the twenty-first century
 

A crucial component of anti-Black racism is the unconscionable disparity in health outcomes between Black and white Americans. Sickening examines this institutionalized inequality through dramatic, concrete events from the past two decades, revealing how unequal living conditions and inadequate medical care have become routine. 

From the spike in chronic disease after Hurricane Katrina to the lack of protection for Black residents during the Flint water crisis—and even the life-threatening childbirth experience for tennis star Serena Williams—author Anne Pollock takes readers on a journey through the diversity of anti-Black racism operating in healthcare. She goes beneath the surface to deconstruct the structures that make these events possible, including mass incarceration, police brutality, and the hypervisibility of Black athletes’ bodies. Ultimately, Sickening shows what these shocking events reveal about the everyday racialization of health in the United States.

Concluding with a vital examination of racialized healthcare during the COVID pandemic and the Black Lives Matter rebellions of 2020, Sickening cuts through the mind-numbing statistics to vividly portray healthcare inequalities. In a gripping and passionate style, Pollock shows the devastating reality and consequences of systemic racism on the lives and health of Black Americans. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics, American History, Social Justice

211 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 2021

About the author

Anne Pollock is an Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Georgia Tech.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, shows that racism today affects health disparities today, not just in ancient history.

[Sarah Schulman]

A very accessible introduction to the ways that racism undermines the health of Black people in the US through snapshots of key incidents from the headlines, treated with intelligence. Most interesting is the investigation of the deaths of two Washington DC postal workers from Anthrax. Here Pollock's analysis contextualizes the individual's experiences with the racial positioning and containment of the postal system. Throughout she is able to bring individuals to the fore, while contextualizing and politicizing systemic issues.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of anti-Black medical racism beyond the classic Tuskegee syphilis study, the origins of gynecology, etc.; this book focuses specifically on 21st century examples, which I found very interesting since I could remember having at least heard of all of the situations before in real time. I'm biased being a medical provider in New Orleans so I found that chapter the most interesting but I also very much enjoyed the discussion of the response to anthrax, especially drawing comparisons to the COVID-19 (lack of) response.

[Bronwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Pollock's rigorous and transparent focus on research and her description of how to engage with the material in a deep and scholarly way are particular strengths of the book.

[Petty Lisbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book thinking it would be about the social determinants of health (which are still important) but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was about the impact of race in different health current events. I barely know anything about the 2001 anthrax attacks (and ironically, one of the only tidbits I remember was Tina Fey, one of the most prominent faces of white feminism, talking about the 30 Rock building getting an anthrax scare) but I didn't even consider that postal carriers were more at risk.

[Emma Kilburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I definitely enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it, there were chapters that lacked for me. Particularly for the chapters on hurricane Katrina and the Flint water crisis, the racial component of these problems felt poorly explained, such that I wonder if different examples may have been a better choice for this book. Additionally, while the choice to zone in on specific stories was engaging, I wish that they had been backed by a more thorough discussion of the problem such examples sought to elucidate, and I wish those discussions had included more empirical data.