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The Tuskegee Syphilis Study: The Real Story and Beyond
The attorney for the men involved describes the infamous medical experiment.
175 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 22, 2023
I always wanted to learn more about this heinous and shameful part of our history and while this short book provides a decent overview of the incident, it reads more like a legal report that tells us too much about Mr. Gray and his accomplishments and not enough about the individuals that suffered as a result of this government sponsored horror. The writing in this book was often repetitive and dry as toast, I am not sorry I read it but I wish I would have picked a better book on the subject.
February 24, 2022
Incredibly dry. It reads like an early part of a legal document. I feel like it is factual and showcases the event, but that's it. Don't expect to feel a connection with anyone or anything other than the topic of bioethics. I gave it three stars because it is the sum of its parts. It's factual and trims all day outside of it, which makes it monotonous at times. Still, important information for sure.
June 8, 2021
The subject of this book, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, is such an important topic to study. It was a shameful part of US American history, and I’m glad I read this book. It has given me a more complete understanding of the Tuskegee Study and its impacts. This book provided a good overview of the Study and what happened afterwards. It’s written by famous civil rights lawyer, Fred Gray, who represented the Study participants in their lawsuit against the government. My only issue with this book was that it was very clearly written by a lawyer, and the writing style wasn’t what I hoped for. That being said, I’m still glad I read it.
June 13, 2010
This is a book written by the lawyer for the Tuskegee Study participants. Fred Gray was a civil rights lawyer in the Tuskegee area, and had won many cases involving voting rights and education prior to becoming involved with the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. His account of the study takes you from the beginning of the study in 1932 through to the Presidential apology made by Clinton in 1997. Gray continually points out the many ways that the actual victims of Tuskegee were left out of the healing process, from the time of the study's revelation, even up to the public government apology. He very rightly points out that the legacy of the Tuskegee Syphilis tragedy is to teach us to never lose sight of the wrongs perpetrated by the study, and to make sure that we never do it again. I'd like to read the book Bad Blood, by Jim Jones. It's a more in depth look at the study. Gray does a good job in highlighting the main aspects of it, but doesn't provide many of the original documents. Jones does this in Bad Blood.
January 8, 2013
I loved learning about the subject of this book, but I have to say that it was obviously written by a lawyer. A lot of information that I did not need was in this book, and the author seemed to talk about himself a lot...
That being said, this book was definately worth reading and really opened my eyes to how horrible these experiments were - not only because of the impact of the study itself, but also because so many people knew of it and never stopped to question the morality of what they were doing.
That being said, this book was definately worth reading and really opened my eyes to how horrible these experiments were - not only because of the impact of the study itself, but also because so many people knew of it and never stopped to question the morality of what they were doing.
August 6, 2014
I would recommend this book to people who are interested in learning about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study but don't want to get too immersed in details. I found this very easy to read. Mr Gray was the attorney who sued the US Government on behalf of the surviving participants.
July 28, 2015
This was a most despicable "study" done. Once a cure all the participants should have been treated. PERIOD. We can be a most horrible race to others.
April 26, 2021
I hate to give this such a poor review because I believe this is such an important subject matter and history lesson especially in 2021. This would probably be a good reference book for a case study in law school but it very much written by an attorney. I think the book Bad Blood might be better since that is what Fred Gray frequently references. I wanted to know more about the participants and would have loved to read a book written from their perspective and what they went through. The US government is currently injecting an emergency authorized (not FDA approved) shot into millions of people. These shots are still under trial and it terrifies me that many people getting these shots are unaware of this important fact. Using emergency actions both state and federal government have gotten around so many rules recently. Have they really changed since the Tuskegee experiment?l
June 27, 2020
While this is very much written in the voice of a lawyer, it is extremely important to read the facts in regards to the injustice of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. The lack of embellishment allows the truth to be gathered in this account.
I would love to add Bad Blood, by Jim Jones to my reading list and expand my knowledge into the detail of the study, that I trust remains historically accurate based on Dr. Grey’s mention of it in this book.
Only by learning about such painful chapters as this in medical history can we ensure a brighter future for everyone, in the US and around the world that is actively anti-racist.
I greatly enjoyed how this account was presented and while not ‘entertaining’ I was happy it wasn’t!
I would love to add Bad Blood, by Jim Jones to my reading list and expand my knowledge into the detail of the study, that I trust remains historically accurate based on Dr. Grey’s mention of it in this book.
Only by learning about such painful chapters as this in medical history can we ensure a brighter future for everyone, in the US and around the world that is actively anti-racist.
I greatly enjoyed how this account was presented and while not ‘entertaining’ I was happy it wasn’t!
March 29, 2023
It’s factual and concise. He’s does not ramble. Gray gives contextual information surrounding this horrible study. He discusses the ramifications of it in the county.
He is dry and speaks lawyer. But it makes easy to listen/read to because he doesn’t not throw in anything that is not relevant and you have to pick through.
He is dry and speaks lawyer. But it makes easy to listen/read to because he doesn’t not throw in anything that is not relevant and you have to pick through.
December 31, 2021
This was more about the lawsuit, I would have liked to know more how each individual life was affected over the years of the study. Humans and their ability to treat other humans so poorly will always disgust me.
July 27, 2022
3 star strictly because it is a legally presented factual account by the attorney for participants of the study. 5 stars for facts and subject matter. So glad I got this an audiobook I never would’ve made it reading the book!
December 24, 2022
This was very well done, a really good primer on the study and legal aftermath. The book is exactly as described, so I gave it 4 stars. What it lacks is stories from the participants. I would like first hand narratives in future books.
December 29, 2022
Definitely an interesting topic, and I am glad I read it. However the writing was pretty slow at times. And as it was written by a lawyer, the book details a lot of the legal aspects from after the study. I guess I was hoping to hear more about the participants and what happened during the study.
February 24, 2023
A well written and detailed account of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the cultural and racial biases that allowed it to happen and the steps taken to give a sincere apology. Let us learn and not repeat the grievances of the past.
February 27, 2023
Some thoughts:
I didn't realize just how many people were complicit in making sure that these guys didn't get treated.
Maxine Waters has been in the game a long time.
I'm glad the Tuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multicultural Center got built and is still going.
I didn't realize just how many people were complicit in making sure that these guys didn't get treated.
Maxine Waters has been in the game a long time.
I'm glad the Tuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multicultural Center got built and is still going.
May 6, 2023
Not terribly well written, but the substance of this story overrides any problems of style. The moral / ethical lapses of virtually everyone conducting this study are nearly inconceivable, yet given the time period perfectly believable.
October 24, 2023
This book wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. Written by the gentleman that litigated for the men affected by the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, it didn't delve into the men's stories like I had hoped it would.
September 23, 2018
Attorney Gray's account of the study and his suit on behalf of the participants. Does not detail the National Research Act or the institution of IRBs at hospitals and universities.
May 21, 2021
Very insightful telling of the study from the lawyer who represented the men.
January 16, 2024
Another awful part of American history. Really cool it was written by such an influential lawyer
June 10, 2021
Horrifically fascinating. I didn't know much about the Tuskegee Syphilis study so this was an eye-opening quick read. Well written, but obviously written by a lawyer with numbered arguments. Written by the lawyer who represented many of the victims and their families, Gray had an insider view of the events. A number of passages focus on the author and his role in the events which I was less interested in and repeated quite a bit of material but still a very good overview.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews