Race, while drawn from the visual cues of human diversity, is an idea with a measurable past, an identifiable present, and an uncertain future. The concept of race has been at the center of both triumphs and tragedies in American history and has had a profound effect on the human experience. Race Unmasked revisits the origins of commonly held beliefs about the scientific nature of racial differences, examines the roots of the modern idea of race, and explains why race continues to generate controversy as a tool of classification even in our genomic age.

Surveying the work of some of the twentieth century's most notable scientists, Race Unmasked reveals how genetics and related biological disciplines formed and preserved ideas of race and, at times, racism. A gripping history of science and scientists, Race Unmasked elucidates the limitations of a racial worldview and throws the contours of our current and evolving understanding of human diversity into sharp relief.

"A challenging, well-researched work that clearly shows the interconnectedness of scientific and social thought." - Kirkus Reviews

"A detailed history of the concept of race and its evolution throughout the 20th century." - Library Journal (starred review)

"This intensely deliberative book unearths many subtle and not-so-subtle examples of this complex historic relationship." - Publishers Weekly

"Yudell, a historian of public health, argues that the complicated interaction of science and race visible in the eugenics movement is still playing out." - Science News

"Race Unmasked is worth reading.... Yudell shows clearly the interplay between science, society, and the changing definitions of race that were central to 20th-century history." - Choice

"A timely, readable and engaging contribution to the growing literature on race and science." - Social History of Medicine

"Race Unmasked proves itself of enormous importance not only for those who wish to understand the evolution of race as a concept but also for those studying the place of science in American culture." - American Studies

"An interesting, thorough, and informative review of the early history of eugenics.... well written and highly readable." - BioScience

"[Race Unmasked] is an important, thought-provoking book and deserves to be widely read by people in all disciplines, but especially by the next generation of geneticists who might need to more fully understand the deep historical roots of their discipline." - The Quarterly Review of Biology

"This engaging book is a must-read for nurses, physicians, scientists, academics, and all who continue to try to understand diversity in our society today." - Nursing History Revew

"This impressive book proceeds to challenge the standard narrative of race science's postwar decline and fall.... Yudell follows in the footsteps of historians such as Richard Hofstadter and Charles E. Rosenberg—scholars who have uncovered the interdependence of biology and American social thought." - Journal of American History

"A welcomed contribution to understanding the history of the present." - Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences

"[Race Unmasked] is an important achievement worthy of a wide readership." - Bulletin of the History of Medicine

"A fine history of how biologists shaped thinking about race in America in the twentieth century and how social values and attitudes shaped the way biologists thought about race." - Metascience

"Yudell fills a critical gap in scholarly discourse on the history of eugenics and race." - The Journal of African American History