Sana Loue

This sociological work examines a niche group with a lot of social factors going on that impacts their health. First, there is gender as these are women. Regionally and racially, these women are from Puerto Rico but now live in the mainland US. They are impoverished, like many who come from the island. They have to deal with very real health issues like mental illnesses and the looming risk of HIV. They have risk factors, it seems, in almost every dynamic. And these social causes of health disparities seem to result in lesser outcomes.

These women’s stories are shared in ethnographic research that records their very words. Their utterances are translated into English although often, the original Spanish is preserved. The conclusions of the study show that these women don’t just have one strike against them; they have many. “Fixing” one problem would, unfortunately, just lead to another problem. So the prognosis seems somewhat bleak.

The answer, the authors posit, lies in addressing “structural violence,” or the harm that social protocols inflict on these individuals. This study does not veer into specifics of how to ameliorate these women’s situations. That would have made the conclusion much more interesting, frankly.

Those who deal with the needy in society – like social workers, those in healthcare, the clergy, among others – can gain increased empathy. One of the women expressed clearly that she just wanted some of her caregivers to understand the implications of their words by tracing out next steps. This book can inform those next steps even for those outside of this niche group. It skillfully and deeply examines all of the social dynamics surrounding this situation. This book is certainly not for the faint of heart, but can enhance social virtues like compassion and effective communication.… (altro)