We read for a lot of reasons.

We read to escape. We read to be entertained. We read to connect. We read for support. We read to laugh and to cry and to be scared and to feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

And yeah, sometimes we read to learn.

David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz's "Building the Worlds That Kill Us: Disease, Death, and Inequality in American History" is the kind of book you read to learn and to become a better human being.

"Building the Worlds That Kill Us" is a book I can see being used in public health courses and social work courses and any course where we're tasked with learning about the problems facing society, how they were created, and what we can do about them.

The basic concept behind "Building the Worlds That Kill Us" is simple - In the United States, the changing rates and kinds of illnesses reflect social, political, and economic structures and inequalities of race, class, and gender.

Honestly, I can't imagine anyone believing this is not true though we certainly do try to deny it. Yet, as a person growing up with serious disabilities I've long been aware that those whose lives are long and healthy and those whose lives are short and sick has always been shaped by the social and economic order.

The haves and the have nots doesn't just apply to economics - it also applies to health and well-being.

"Building the Worlds That Kill Us" explores U.S. history from the dispossession of Indigenous people and the horrors of slavery to infectious diseases spreading in overcrowded tenements and industrialization-caused environmental contamination, Rosner and Markowitz provide a well-researched and engagingly presented dive into the world of health inequity. The book also journeys through climate change, of course, and 21st century pandemics, both of which also explore how those in power have left others behind.

"Building the Worlds That Kill Us" isn't a book that entertains. It's not particularly upbeat, though certainly the authors do ultimately lean into some sense of hopefulness that there is a better way. However, for the most part, this is a book written through the lens of death and disease from the American colonial era to the present. The authors show, undeniably, how deep inequities determine the disparate health experiences of rich and poor, Black and white, men and women, immigrants and native-born, boss and worker, Indigenous and settler, and to a lesser degree disabled and non-disabled. We all know that powerful people and institutions have always seen some lives as more valuable than others - as a person with a disability, I still live in a world where certain forms of eugenics are widely accepted.

However, and it must be noted, "Building the Worlds That Kill Us" also paints an undeniable picture that these are all choices and we can choose differently. We can, if we choose, collectively make decisions that foster life and health.

As someone who was in the very first class after the Rehab Act mandated a fair and equal education for kids with disabilities, I've seen evidence that we can do better and I've seen evidence it improves outcomes for all.

"Building the Worlds That Kill Us" is a powerful read, a disturbing read, and yet also a vital and important read for future health professionals and world changers.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic