As a former English teacher and librarian, book talks were a staple in our founder’s classroom and library. She posted those book talks and reviews on her personal page, educatorbarnes.com. Those reviews are now on this website, and our founder will continue adding new book reviews. They are categorized on the Book Talks and Reviews page.
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts is a book all humans should read. It is not an easy read, but it is a necessary read.
Although this book was first published in 1997, the discourse is still important today. Roberts takes the reader on a journey of how Black bodies are controlled starting from enslavement through modern times. Some of the topics she covers include IVF, birth control, welfare, sterilization, eugenics, abortion, adoption, and addiction.
Roberts states on page six of the book, “Reproductive liberty must encompass more than the protection of an individual woman’s choice to end her pregnancy. It must encompass the full range of procreative activities, including the ability to bear a child, and it must acknowledge that we make reproductive decisions withing a social context, including inequalities of wealth and power. Reproductive freedom is a matter of social justice, not individual choice.”
For people who assert they are for social justice, this book is a must read and should be added to their personal library.
Rating 5/5
| Age | 11th grade and up |
Blazing Brilliance 