Cover Image: Diabetes

Diabetes

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Member Reviews

This is a fascinating, well documented book but it is long and does read a lot like a textbook or scholarly article. It will be great for those who need this information for work or school, but is probably not going to be a favorite bedtime read for many.

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Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

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The increase in the onset of diabetes is quite alarming particularly in the United States. The author does an excellent job of reviewing the history of disease by race and class. She goes into great detail regarding the circumstances which affected the increase of diabetes in certain populations. There are many factors that contribute to how a population comes to be treated as disposable because they are not valued and this book outlines how that ideas came to be. This should be required reading in high schools and colleges to better educate a populace about race and disease.

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This is really unique and specific. There was a lot in it but I did learn a lot. Well done to the author.

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In her book Diabetes: a History of Race and Disease, author and professor Arleen Marcia Tuchman goes beyond the basic medical history of diabetes to thoroughly examine how racial stereotypes play just as much into what we know about diabetes as the medical facts. Tuchman takes the reader through a modern chronology of the disease, starting at the early 1900s when diabetes was thought of as a Jewish disease before discussing the disease among both African Americans and Native Americans, then looks at race and diabetes post 1985. As a diabetic myself, and someone who has read a lot of books about the disease, I found this book to be both engaging and novel; Tuchman ties both medical history and cultural stereotypes together in a highly readable format. Tuchman writes using medical jargon, but clearly defines and explains everything technical, so no previous knowledge of the intricacies of the disease is necessary in order to follow Tuchman's racial history. Readers interested in diabetes itself, the history of the disease, or how race was perceived to cause the disease throughout the last century would enjoy this book. Great for fans of medical or social history.

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I'm diabetic and was really interested in this book. I love the learn more about my illness and this a well researched and informative book that helped me to the understand the social/racial implications of diabetes.
It's an excellent read that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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