NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF 2022 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES

The first book to tell the full story of race and health in America today, showing the toll racism takes on individuals and the health of the nation.

In the US, Black people have poorer health outcomes than white people at every stage of their lives: Black babies are more than twice as likely as white babies to die at birth or in the first year of life; Blacks in every age-group under sixty-five have significantly higher death rates than whites. Racial disparities in healthcare are impossible to ignore, and yet they have never been fully investigated until now.

In Under the Skin, Linda Villarosa reveals the elements in the American healthcare system and society that cause Black people to ‘live sicker and die quicker’. Today’s medical texts and instruments still carry slavery-era assumptions that Black bodies are fundamentally different from white bodies. Study after study of medical settings show worse treatment and outcomes for Black patients. Black people live in dirtier, more polluted communities due to environmental racism. And, most powerfully, Villarosa describes how coping with the daily scourge of racism ages Black people prematurely, a phenomenon called weathering. Anchored by human stories and offering incontrovertible proof, Under the Skin is dramatic, tragic, and necessary reading.

‘A searing indictment of a broken health system in the age of American decline.’ New Statesman
‘Villarosa’s empathic and sharp-sighted journalism is as astute as it is groundbreaking, as brilliant as it is timely. Let the conversations begin!’ Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times bestselling author of Red at the Bone

"

‘Singular and expansive … In this eminently admirable book, there are no easy answers or platitudes.’

"

‘A searing indictment of a broken health system in the age of American decline.’

"

‘Brilliant, illuminating … Meticulously researched, sweeping in its historical breadth, damning in its clear-eyed assessment of facts and yet hopeful in its outlook, Under the Skin is a must-read for all who affirm that Black lives matter.’

"

‘[G]ripping, incisive … [Villarosa] deftly pivots between individual cases and studies that demonstrate the widespread obstacles in seeking equal health care for Black people.’

"

‘A stunning look at the racial disparities in health outcomes for Black and white Americans … Skilfully interweaving historical and medical facts with empathetic profiles of people who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and other health crises enabled by structural racism, Villarosa delivers a passionate call for equality in the American medical system. The result is an urgent and utterly convincing must-read.’

"

‘This powerful, carefully researched book reveals the significant health challenges faced by Black Americans simply due to being Black … Villarosa documents unending examples of social racism, inbred bias, and general neglect, but somehow remains hopeful for change, introducing individuals and programs that are making positive differences. Her thoughtful, personal account raises issues that affect all Americans.’

"

‘Remarkable.’

"

‘Perhaps one of the most important and thought-provoking publications of the year is Linda Villarosa’s groundbreaking Under the Skin. It’s a stunning exposé of why Black people in our society “live sicker and die quicker” — an eye-opening game changer.’

"

‘An eye-opening, heartbreaking study of the racism deeply embedded in US medicine and society; critical for any reader interested in racism’s effects on quality of life.’

"

‘A damning account of how race and racism determine the quality and quantity of medical care in the US ... A closely argued case for racial and class equity in health care, revealing a medical regime sorely in need for reform.’

"

‘[M]akes stunning points about the health risks of racism amid moving narratives of real people’s experiences … wonderfully written. It’s not an inaccessible academic work or a polemic. Rather, its points are made amid moving narratives of real people’s experiences. The book also serves as a stake in the ground for Villarosa as she powerfully discloses what years of reporting have led her to understand.’