In the spirit of Medical Apartheid and Killing the Black Body; A science-based, data-driven, and global exploration of racial disparities in health care access by virologist, immunologist, and science journalist Layal Liverpool.
Layal Liverpool spent years as a teen bouncing from doctor to doctor, each one failing to diagnose her dermatological complaint. Just when she’d grown used to the idea that she had an extremely rare and untreatable skin condition, one dermatologist, after a quick exam, told her that she had a classic (and common) case of eczema and explained that it often appears differently on darker skin. Her experience stuck with her, making her wonder whether other medical conditions might be going undiagnosed in darker-skinned people and whether racism could, in fact, make people sick.
The pandemic taught us that diseases like Covid disproportionately affect people of color. Here, Liverpool goes a step further to show that this disparity exists for all types of illness and that it is caused by racism. In Systemic, Liverpool shares her journey to show how racism, woven into our societies, as well as into the structures of medicine and science, is harmful to our health. Refuting the false belief that there are biological differences between races, Liverpool goes on to show that racism-related stress and trauma can however, lead to biological changes that make people of color more vulnerable to illness, debunking the myth of illness as the great equalizer.
From the problem of racial bias in medicine where the default human subject is white, to the dangerous health consequences of systemic racism, from the physical and psychological effects of daily microaggressions to intergenerational trauma and data gaps, Liverpool reveals the fatal stereotypes that keep people of color undiagnosed, untreated, and unsafe, and tells us what we can do about it.
Layal Liverpool spent years as a teen bouncing from doctor to doctor, each one failing to diagnose her dermatological complaint. Just when she’d grown used to the idea that she had an extremely rare and untreatable skin condition, one dermatologist, after a quick exam, told her that she had a classic (and common) case of eczema and explained that it often appears differently on darker skin. Her experience stuck with her, making her wonder whether other medical conditions might be going undiagnosed in darker-skinned people and whether racism could, in fact, make people sick.
The pandemic taught us that diseases like Covid disproportionately affect people of color. Here, Liverpool goes a step further to show that this disparity exists for all types of illness and that it is caused by racism. In Systemic, Liverpool shares her journey to show how racism, woven into our societies, as well as into the structures of medicine and science, is harmful to our health. Refuting the false belief that there are biological differences between races, Liverpool goes on to show that racism-related stress and trauma can however, lead to biological changes that make people of color more vulnerable to illness, debunking the myth of illness as the great equalizer.
From the problem of racial bias in medicine where the default human subject is white, to the dangerous health consequences of systemic racism, from the physical and psychological effects of daily microaggressions to intergenerational trauma and data gaps, Liverpool reveals the fatal stereotypes that keep people of color undiagnosed, untreated, and unsafe, and tells us what we can do about it.
Book Details
Format:
Hardcover
Price:
30 USD / 41 CAD
Published: 2024-06-18
ISBN: 9781662601675
Imprint:
Astra House
Page Count: 320
Trim Size: 6 x 9
"Until health outcomes are equal among all people, Systemic will continue to be a vital resource for anyone concerned with the well-being of their community."
—Alyssa Parssinen, ShelfAwareness
"Nature reporter Liverpool debuts with a damning investigation of how racism affects health outcomes across the globe…. The extensive research captures the alarming scope of the problem, yet Liverpool also includes reason for hope, highlighting efforts to “sequence DNA from traditionally unrepresented groups'' and to support “aspiring and current doctors of African and Caribbean heritage” in the U.K. It’s a troubling assessment of a pervasive problem."
—Publishers Weekly
"A powerful argument for a more equitable approach to health care."
—Kirkus Reviews
"In this necessary volume, science journalist Layal Liverpool dispels the oft-repeated myth that biological or genetic differences among racial groups can explain health disparities."
—Karla J. Strand, Ms. Magazine
"Systemic is a wide-ranging, inquisitive book about health care and society — and ultimately a call for change. Liverpool makes available a plethora of resources and advocacy groups that should help everyone to get involved in anti-racism efforts."
—Sirry Alang, Nature
"Liverpool’s book is a call to arms for a drastic societal shift: for everyone (particularly medical professionals) to recognise that racism is as bad for your health as smoking, drinking or eating unhealthy food."
—The New Statesman (UK)
"Systemic is an important new book about the relationship between racism, illness, and manufactured disability. Global in scope, Layal Liverpool takes us from Europe to the Americas, from Africa to Australia, illustrating the transnational scourge racism has on the health of the public the world over. Scientifically and technically masterful but never lacking heart, Liverpool draws upon her own lived experiences with vulnerability and grace, so that readers may better understand their own."
—Steven W. Thrasher, PhD, author of The Viral Underclass
"Across a global canvas Layal Liverpool deploys deep compassion, gut-wrenching testimony, and peerless scientific journalism to show how racism lives and kills. But then she guides us to a revelation: once we know the truth of racism, it’s possible to chart a way to a health system in which anti-racism is medicine. It’s a prescription that everyone needs. Start by reading, and then organize!"
—Raj Patel, co-author of Inflamed
"A groundbreaking, brilliantly argued book that debunks the myth that illness is the great equalizer. With a strong foundation in science and biology, Layal Liverpool unequivocally proves that addressing bias in medicine and data gaps in research will lead to a healthier and more equal world."
—Siddhartha Mukherjee, bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladies, The Gene and The Song of the Cell
"Layal Liverpool has produced a work of towering importance that will undoubtedly change science and save lives, but it will also change the way you see yourself and the people around you. Systemic is beautifully written and scholarly but perhaps almost uniquely for such a book it is deeply personal and accessible, packed with compelling stories and fascinating details which are harnessed to make an impassioned argument for a better world."
—Chris Van Tulleken, NYT bestselling author of Ultra-Processed People
