Review: Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck

Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck by Adam Cohen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fascinating book, not just for the Carrie Buck aspect of it, but for the interrelated history.

With the controversy and debates over immigration today, it's interesting to take a look back to the early 20th century when there was a move to keep Italians, eastern European Jews and other "undesirables" from entering the U.S. because they were inferior in a number of ways, and they may even manage to pollute the US gene pool.

Did you know that during the Nuremberg Trials the Nazis used policies in the US -- and the Carrie Buck case itself -- to justify their crimes?

And, unless you've done extensive research on him, throw out everything you think you know about Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. This may make you think even more about how important the choice of a Supreme Court justice really is.

Adam Cohen explains these and many more related issues so well it's almost like reading a novel. It shines a light on a very dark time in US history that should be a must-read for people interested in history, and especially human rights.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in preparation for an interview with the author.

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