Gonna go ahead and quote another reviewer who put my initial thoughts into words much more succinctly than I was about to: "I am not Black so definitely uphold reviews by Black people over mine."

I love when a book can take all the loose threads in my mind—Black food culture, fatphobia, topics of food and food culture centering white perceptions and experiences, how the concept of "healthy" often actively excludes and condemns foods with deep cultural significance to Black communities, medical racism, food deserts and issues of accessibility to "healthy" options, etc.—and tie them together so neatly.

I went into this with a cursory knowledge. I knew some of the history and social factors contributing to this country's deeply-rooted customs of surveillance and criticism of Black cultural foods and food traditions, just not as much as I wanted to know. It's always been about policing Black bodies and reinforcing white power structures. I knew this much, but Dr. Williams-Forson's work has brought so much depth and nuance to my understanding of the subject.

I think there's a lot here and if you pick this one up, take your time working through it. I'm already a big fan of highlighting and notetaking in my smart books and this one is definitely one to mark up. I do admit it is very academic (all the more reason I enjoyed marking it up, honestly) which might be not be everyone's cup of tea. Still, this is a gem for anyone with an interest in things like food history and the social factors both quietly and loudly influencing how we perceive Black food and Black food culture and traditions. Highly recommend it.

Thank you muchly to NetGalley and UNC Press for this copy of Eating While Black!

*I am not Black so definitely uphold reviews by Black people over mine*


When I first learned of how intrinsically fatphobia is to medical racism, I was not surprised. Disgusted, but not surprised. I chose this book on Netgalley because while I know the basics on the subject, I felt it necessary to know more so that I could counteract and call out this behaviour more effectively. Pysche A. Williams-Forson details the societal implications of 'eating while black' and the very real dangers it possesses. She discusses how even in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Black people were being described as "looters and thieves as opposed to survivalists."

While I am not finished reading this book asI feel it is some to read slowly and thoughtfully, I feel like it should be mandatory reading for everyone in a medical or food-related field. This book is a fascinating read and has clearly illustrated to me how little I know about the subject--- which I am appreciative of.

Before reading this book, I never knew that food could be used as a way to shame or project racism or stereotyping of black people in America or elsewhere. Always thought food was used in matters of romance as a prelude to sex or as a way to gather people and cement relations.In this book we are taught or made aware of food racism and experience different cultural histories about food.

3.5 stars

Dr. Psyche A. Williams-Forson is a professor, speaker, scholar, and author of several books on African American food cultures and history.

In 'Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America' Williams-Forson observes that Black people's lives - including their food choices - are constantly being policed, surveilled, and vilified. She goes on to say that, "Somebody is always watching, waiting to tell Black people what they should and should not, can and cannot, eat."

According to the author, the custom of policing Black people's consumption comes from a broader history of trying to control Black lives from a position of white privilege and power. In current times, Black people are urged to 'eat healthy', which would (presumably) require limiting consumption of 'soul food' like fried chicken, candied yams, collard greens with pork, macaroni and cheese, spoonbread, chitlins, etc.

Food is central to everyone's culture, and operates on multiple levels beyond merely satisfying our stomachs. For instance, foods we're accustomed to are affiliated with our memories, and help us feel connected to our families and communities. Williams-Forson notes, "African Americans self-define and reinforce group identities through their expressive culture: food, clothing, dance, speech and language, games, and so forth." Asking Black people to change their eating habits is like "interrupting and disrupting [their] lifeways."

Moreover, the author observes that Black people are as varied in food practices as anyone else in America. They eat from fast-food chains, Whole Foods, farmers markets, their own gardens, the dollar store, supermarkets, etc. They eat fresh, frozen, and canned. They are carnivores, vegans pescatarians, and vegetarians.

So why are African-Americans criticized for their food choices?

In fact, Black people not alone in this. William-Forbes writes, "Almost all cultures of people experience food shaming as well as fat- and body image- shaming." In this book, though, the author concentrates on African American people. She notes, "From incendiary and denigrating images of African Americans with chicken and watermelon, to policies that suggest African Americans have the worst health records, to arguments that food is the culprit in our early deaths, racist ideas are continuously contrived in order to try to convince us and society at large of Black inferiority."

Williams-Forbes goes to say that fuller and rounder Black people's bodies are seen as evidence of laziness or slothfulness rather than as attractive and Rubenesque. As a consequence, African American women "are beset by the emotional, physiological, and political consequences of race and gender shaming. This shaming has tangible, even disastrous consequences."

The author asserts that all this stems from racism, be it conscious or unconscious. In addition, those who advocate 'eating healthy' (consuming more fruits and vegetables) don't take into consideration the fact that farmers' markets and well-supplied supermarkets are sometimes scarce in Black neighborhoods.

Williams-Forbes believes it's best if Black people are in charge of their own culinary lives, and other people - who know little about Black history and culture - should mind their own business. The author writes, "At the heart of much food shaming and attempts at regulating is a lack of awareness and understanding of cultural differences." Sadly, food shaming has practical consequences, as many African Americans avoid eating chicken and watermelon in public.

The author is generous with quotes and examples that illustrate her points, including observations from professors, scholars, social media, and journalists; scenes from books, movies, and TV shows; photos from library archives; her personal experiences; and so on. Pictures are included in the book, which illustrate some of Williams-Forbes arguments.

Though the author defends African American food habits, she does not mean to imply that 'eating healthy' is unimportant. Williams-Forbes writes, "Creating healthy bodies requires a redefinition of the food stories that define our cultures....Rather than urging people to change what they eat, a more effective approach may be to help communities incorporate healthier preparation techniques and ingredients into foods already rich in cultural meaning."

Williams-Forbes strays from the topic of food quite a bit, frequently addressing other aspects of Black oppression, such as the historic middle passage and hundreds of years of slavery; discrimination in housing, employment, and education; Black people being seen as criminals; African Americans being considered cheap and uncouth; discriminatory agricultural practices; violence against African Americans; and more. Though these topics are interesting, their insertion makes the book choppy.

The narrative is interesting and informative, and there are extensive notes at the end, detailing the author's research. Recommended to readers interested in the subject.

Thanks to Netgalley, Psyche A. Williams-Forbes, and the University of North Carolina Press for a copy of the book.

This is an important book that I think needs to be taught in college level courses. I think often times we, as Black people, are looked down upon based on our diets and what we eat but I think the author did a great job writing an informed work

i appreciated this book. It was great to hear things I knew and to learn more. I would highly recommend this book.

Very informational book which provided me with a different perspective on food culture. Reading this book has allowed me to be more mindful of how my own experiences with food and food culture can be helpful or harmful to others. As a mother of two young Latinas, I feel more prepared to have conversations about food, eating habits, etc. with them.

This book was so interesting and nuanced. I've never thought this hard about food and about the origins and complexities of food shaming. Williams-Forson did a great job of balancing theoretical without making it too hard to understand. A very approachable theory based book.

This book was so eye opening about food and the shaming that comes with it. I actually found myself to be guilty of many of the things that were discussed in this book. I now come to the idea of judging people and the food that they eat with a new perspective. I now have a new topic that I want to learn more about and how it influences my African-American culture and the rest of the United States.

I have heard a few things about racism and food over the past few years that as a white cis woman living in Europe I have never thought about and wanted to make an effort of understanding better. I am unsure how qualified I am to give a good review of a book that does not represent me but would only be educational for me. I cannot verify or claim how well this represents reality.

I really appreciate the information in this book but it was a lot more academic in writing style than I am usually comfortable with - this really had an impact on my reading experience that I did not necessarily anticipate. This book holds a wealth of information into the way food and the surrounding customs and culture connects and interacts with race and class but I would have much more appreciated if it would have been done in a personal narrative style. I usually enjoy non-fiction most if it tries to read like fiction - maybe that is a clear me-problem and other readers would be the exact opposite. For those who appreciate an academic format with everything including citations and quotations this book might be a gem to learn from - it simply was not the right style for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of the book in exchange for this honest review.

This book was very eye opening and something I never thought about. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that food is used as a racially motivated tool. I guess it is my white privilege that cause me to never consider that farmers markets would be have racist under currents. I’ve never cared what people ate. I get insulted all the time for my food choices but no one ever stops to ask why I eat like I do. This entire book is just making me think and look at food in ways I ever would have thought to do (obviously the point of the book!)

I rarely read Nonfiction books, but I could not help requesting this one! From the first chapter, there are incredible gems dropped and readers get to unpack how racism and food go hand-in-hand. Food is such a big part of Black culture, and it was interesting to get to explore that relationship more. This book is a great read to div into, especially as racism is still a prominent part of society, even in less overt ways like food shaming.

I’ll be adding a hard copy of this book to my personal library. That way I can annotate and make more notes!

Thank you to Net Galley and the University of North Carolina Press for the ARC!

Eating While Black

I received an advanced copy of this book through Net Galley. I had requested it because I’m interested in the topics of food banks and food scarcity and food in culture, growing one’s own food, etc.. I’ve read several books about food politics as they pertain to the Black community in North America but what I found most helpful and important in this book is the wide range of personal stories about how food shaming and surveillance and just plain ignorance are heaped upon Black people in all kinds of situations. The stories help the reader in that the reader can then also retell these stories to people in their lives. These stories help show how deep the damage can go. It feels like this is a significant aspect of the book that will help inspire the necessary change in how white society in America looks at food, how people interact with food, how people make damaging assumptions about food in all kinds of work scenarios…

Thank you to NetGalley and the University of North Carolina Press for providing me with an advance copy of the book in exchange for this honest review.

I was very excited to have the chance to read this book, I am very interested in food systems and customs and to learn more about that from this perspective sounded great. I do think that this book holds within its pages a wealth of information and insight into the way food and the surrounding customs and culture specifically connects and interacts with race and class. There was an abundance of other academic works cited, there were some personal anecdotes used to illustrate the points the author wanted to make.

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish this book. I found the writing to be so academic as to be un-enjoyable for me in this context. I am an avid non-fiction reader but I have come to expect and be comfortable with a more narrative style of non-fiction. This is not a fault with the book, but rather with my understanding of what the tone of it was going to be. There was some user error here, but it did prevent me from finishing it. I found the citations and quotations and overall writing style to be so academic as to be hard to read. I think the contents of this might have been better presented as a series of articles, but again maybe I was simply unprepared for this text.

I hate to leave a book unfinished but I believe that I would have rated this book 2 stars had I pushed through, and I don’t feel bad about leaving that rating between us.

Because I did not finish the book I will not be posting my review to Goodreads, my main reviewing platform, but I will be sharing my thoughts in a vlog on my YouTube channel.

Racism and food is honestly something I've never thought about so when I got the opportunity to read this and learn if I had any unconscious biases (and how I could change them) I took took it. This is a very academic read so don't expect the text to flow or be entertaining in any way.

I'm glad I read this although I didn't enjoy it much as a reading experience. I don't feel like I learned anything new but it did make me think about things in a way I hadn't before. Based on my reading experience and some of the other reviews I've read I believe Dr. Williams-Forson's writing isn't easy to understand, she tends to overexplain her point where the point gets lost.

I'm also disappointed that she often quotes a known TERF. Although this book doesn't address sexuality at all I don't want to be reminded of hate every time I have to read her name.

I'd recommend this to anyone who cant mind their business and likes to comment on people's weight unsolicited.

This book is quite powerful. You can find racism in so many parts of daily life and food is most definitely not exempt.

Williams-Forson exposes racism in so many different aspects of the simple act of eating. She looks at history, economics, advertising, news, culture, and so much more. From the very beginning of her book she said “I found myself thinking about what it means simply to eat publicly and privately as a Black person in America. So often our food encounters - whether trying to get, prepare, consume, or enjoy food - are under fire.”

Our author uses stories from her own life as well as scenes from notable television shows like Boardwalk Empire and The Wire, which really help to add even more weight to her words.

When she talks about her Black daughter being weighed in front of a classroom as her health teacher talked about the dangers that Black people face with obesity my jaw DROPPED.

A handful of things I cannot stop thinking about after reading this book:

- Why are Black people shamed for enjoying foods they love with their family because others may see it as “unhealthy,” yet others are praised for their sophisticated taste in eating at decadent high-end restaurant?
- Why are many farmers market initiatives that are set up specifically to address fresh food deserts in Black communities mostly cater to white consumers?
- Why are Black children consistently seen as older than white children and therefore as having more control over their food consumption?

This book is eye-opening.

Dr. Williams-Forson's "Eating While Black" provides a deep-dive into the social context of food, blackness, fatphobia, and food access (and many more points!) and how these all relate to how American society has policed black people in regards to food and the ways in which we understand (or not) "healthy eating."

The book begins with an anecdote of a Karen-esque figure food-shaming a Black metro worker, who responds with "worry about yourself;" this concept becomes a theme throughout the text. The biggest tl;dr I can offer is "worry about yourself," not just in the context of food but also in life.

Some of the more salient points that stuck out to me:

--food shaming of individual black people for the ways in which they eat that does not examine the contexts of their daily lives, learned history, and social systems is blame-y and weird because it falls into the trap of holding and individual accountable for representing a group overall and ALSO worry about yourself

--the "War on Obesity" is similar to the "War on Drugs" or the "War on Poverty;" they are simply weird shorthand for "war on fat people" and "war on people who use drugs" and "war on poor people

--Guy Fieri can be out here pounding whatever greasy mess he wants on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives but god forbid any black person ever eat anything with a modicum of grease ever because they'll be seen as morally bankrupt

--farmer's markets can be really culturally skewed towards whiteness in a very exclusionary way; I happen to live in a majority black city where there are black vendors at the farmers' markets BUT the point still stands and I know that this is not true for the majority of American spaces and even our farmers' markets do not fully represent the demographics of the city and still skew more towards whiteness

The tone of the book switches back and forth between being more academic and less formal, but does so in a seamless manner. I think this book would make a great textbook in a relevant college-level class (author is a prof, duh, of course she wrote a great textbook) but is also something that non-academics can appreciate and learn from.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

This book!!! Whew!

It took me a moment to get through it because I will admit that I want to take my time, I wanted to savour the experience and truly sit with the information, and that's how I recommend reading this book, don't rush.

This book is not for everyone but I still think everyone should read it because it looks at the realistic and complicated history of food choice and shaming as it relates to African American food. There are so many valuable pieces of information throughout this book, and so many takeaway truths that help us understand and re-think some of the long-standing narratives that we hold around food and the Black community.

This book addresses the complexity surrounding the issues of food in the Black community looking at what Black people eat and don't eat and some of the misconceptions that surround that. One of the biggest takeaways that I walked away with is that food is both personal and political and that something we don't talk about or really think about enough.

This book is a fascinating and important read for anyone who is interested in learning and understanding a component of racism that is an insidious and sickening part of our society.

Psyche A. Williams-Forson writes a thoughtful and piercing observation on the history, prejudice, shaming, and unrelenting challenges of eating while Black in America. She does it with an academic tone that avoids being sleep-inducing like so many academic works and she does it through a lens of compassion and lived experience.

Another lesson in understanding and learning how to become a better ally is within these pages and you can be a better human being because this book exists.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

#EatingWhileBlack #NetGalley #Bookstagram

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest opinion on Eating While Black.

This book shares the unfortunate events that happen while being black in America. It shows how little Blacks are values even when it comes down to eating. The author shared a story in regards to her child who was profiled at school and how that affected her. Also shared the stereotype that Blacks only eat Fried Chicken and Watermelon.

This book is a book that is not only for Blacks but for everyone as I feel that everyone can learn something from it.

Great Read!