77 pages • 2 hours read
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty
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Book Brief
384
Book • Nonfiction
United States • 20th Century
1997
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Killing the Black Body by Dorothy E. Roberts examines the historical and modern infringements on the reproductive rights of African American women in the United States, spanning from the antebellum era to the 1990s. The book illustrates how federal and state policies have controlled Black women’s reproduction through coercive practices like forced sterilization, biased drug prosecutions, and welfare-linked contraceptive mandates, while highlighting the racial biases in reproductive technologies like IVF. Roberts argues for a reframing of reproductive rights to include the infrastructure for healthy pregnancies and parent-child relationships, focusing on the experiences of Black women as a central component of these discussions. The book addresses sensitive topics such as rape, drug use, sexual abuse, and medical abuse.
Informative
Dark
Unnerving
Emotional
Reviews & Readership
5,989 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Dorothy Roberts' Killing the Black Body is lauded for its comprehensive exploration of the historical and contemporary reproductive oppression of Black women in America. Critics praise its thorough research and powerful narrative. However, some find its extensive detail overwhelming and the subject matter difficult to engage with emotionally.
Who Should Read Killing the Black Body?
Readers who would find Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts compelling are typically interested in race studies, reproductive justice, and gender studies. This work appeals to fans of Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow and Ta-Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me due to its critical examination of systemic oppression and its impact on Black women.
5,989 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Charles Murray
Charles Murray
An American political scientist known for his controversial work linking intelligence to race, contributing to a legacy of racial pseudoscience and eugenics ideology.
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger
A pioneering advocate for women's reproductive rights and founder of the American Birth Control League, known for promoting birth control while controversially engaging with eugenicist ideas.
Shirley Brown
Shirley Brown
A nurse at the Medical University of South Carolina who played a key role in enforcing a policy targeting pregnant Black women for drug use, revealing bias in her approach and attitudes.
J. Marion Sims
J. Marion Sims
A 19th-century physician who pioneered gynecological surgery but faced criticism for his unethical experiments on enslaved Black women without anesthesia.
Wayne Bryant
Wayne Bryant
A former New Jersey state senator involved in welfare reform through the Family Development Act, later convicted of corruption for misusing his political influence.
384
Book • Nonfiction
United States • 20th Century
1997
Adult
18+ years
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