Honestly this was a DNF for me (at 21%). The subject matter seemed interesting, and I liked the author's description in the beginning of her personal involvement in the issue of donated blood products. But the way the author writes just didn't hold my attention. It was difficult to make myself pick this one up when there are so many other books on my TBR. I would not recommend this book.

This was a chilling story about what's going on with blood banks. I wish more people knew about this story! I would definitely recommend it, especially to my doctor friends!

Gripping account of an underreported subject. Great read that I've been recommending to half the people I talk to.

Part memoir, part exploration of an ignored cog in the system of the U.S. - and global - healthcare system, Blood Money is a fascinating investigation into the plasma selling business that thrives in some of the most neglected corners of the U.S. The book is engaging to read - I found myself constantly pulled back to it to find out what McLaughlin would learn next - and packed full of information and interviews, as well as personal stories of McLaughlin's chronic illness and the plasma-based medication that helps her keep it in check.

Blood Money somehow manages to be insightful, empathetic, and scathing, not to mention well-researched without feeling dry. I felt like I was along for the journey through the back roads of America, where plasma centers thrive, putting a little bit of cash into the pockets of those who need it to make ends meet.

My only issue with this book was that it got repetitive at times - certain facts were repeated multiple times, as were specific turns of phrase. I felt at times that this was a book not meant for consumption straight through, but rather one to read and set down, wander away, and come back some time later, maybe having forgotten some of the specifics. When read in one go, I felt as though I was being hit over the head with certain concepts that I had already internalized.

Other than that, however, this was a fascinating read, holding my attention in a way that nonfiction books often don't.

4/5

The sale of plasma might be one of the most underrated fascinating subject. I think the author of Blood Money, Kathleen McLaughlin, is correct when she says that those of us that are lucky enough spend close to zero minutes of our lives thinking about plasma, plasma donations, and the impacts of them, medicinally and socially. Her personal tie-in with a medication made from plasma makes the content of this book all the more interesting because she has knowledge that most of us have not bothered to comtemplate.

The help that this book provides opening our eyes to the impact that our societal set-up has on the plasma industry and how it weaves in through broader occurrences and impacts on some of our most vulnerable’s daily lives is immeasurable. I will absolutely be thinking about this piece for a long, long time.

My one major grievance with this book, in the review copy as I read it, is that it can be distractingly repetitive. And in some cases reads like a college term paper bumpily summarizing the key points at the end of the chapter. I hope, hope, hope that it gets another edit or slight revamp to do this narrative the justice that it deserves. It would have probably been a 5-star read for me if it was cleaner, tighter, and didn’t repeat so much.

Still a pretty-high recommend for those that are interested in social issues, social justice, the impacts of capitalism, finance, business, government, and the like. Compelling!

In Blood Money, Kathleen McLaughlin takes us on a fascinating journey into the harsh reality of what it means to live under capitalism and be the recipient of drugs made from or harvested materials from other people. I don't think it is surprising, but I find Kathleen's writing to be page turning. What may catch some reader's off guard is the sheer magnitude if the industry built on the life saving intervention of plasma donation. Kathleen puts it all into perspective.

Kathleen has a deep understanding of the issue. She, being someone who is the recipient of these life saving interventions, is well placed to give a holistic look into the pros and cons of the industry, She goes deep into the lives of the people the industry in built on, giving voice to an often under represented population of the working poor. Almost thankfully stigma prevents Plasma collection companies from preying on the most vulnerable population of the homeless, but Kathleen makes a great case for why the industry desperately needs a different financial structure. The people often takes from people who donate as financial crutch and Kathleen goes into great detail about what that means for our society.

The best part of the book is the depth of her research. Kathleen goes through her own research in a way the puts the reader right beside her in investigation. Her perspective as someone who receives drugs made from plasma donation is a great window into discussing the moral implications of the industry. An industry that thrives inside the capitalistic economy of the United States where there is an abundance of working poor due to the low minimum wage. Kathleen tells stories that may surprise some readers in just the sheer magnitude of the amount of communities touched by this industry and the disparity between what the people are and what she as a recipient is paying for the drugs built on their bodies.

This was a fascinating read, that was impossible for me to put down. A great read for anyone interested in the structure of the American medical system. It isn't graphic. There are discussions of blood, but nothing too intense that would trigger anyone in my opinion. I think for someone who is blood squeamish like Kathleen herself this book is written to not be too off putting. Will maybe end up on of my favorite reads of the year.

This book was given to me by NetGalley for review.

This book wasn’t even on my radar until I read an interview between Anne Helen Petersen and the author, a fellow chronically ill woman who calls herself a “living vampire” because the medication she relies on to survive uses donated plasma. This led her on an incredibly well-reported journey into America’s exploitative blood industry. If I’m being honest, I only ever selfishly thought about the medications I take (how annoying it is that infusions take so long, how I have to inject myself, how the fatigue takes over after) and never considered the people on the margins who donate plasma for money and the systems we have in place that keep that cycle going. This book was eye-opening and I know I’m going to be thinking about it for a long time to come.

My only issue with the book was it felt like some parts were repetitive, but I also feel like that served to illustrate how cyclical this issue is and how trapped people are in the cycle. Overall, really well written and I would highly recommend this book.

This book was not what I thought based on the subtitle. I thought it would be more about blood transfusions, etc. but it is more about the author's quest to learn where her medicine comes from and a lot more about Chinese blood restrictions than I realized it would be.

Fascinating account of the blood plasma industry. The book begins in China focusing on the AIDS epidemic that occurred in the late 1990s resulting from poor farmers selling their blood plasma to make money. Unclean needles where used for plasma withdrawals, thus the spread of AIDS. In typical Chinese fashion, the Government concealed the spread of the epidemic.

The remainder of the book focuses on the US and the blood plasma industry which is a $24 billion dollar a year industry. The author investigates how the industry gets people to give blood plasma through preying on the poor and on people in need of money. The people are paid more money when they give plasma more frequently. The industry is not regulated and there has been no scientific studies to determine what detrimental effects might occur to people giving their plasma inasmuch as the people are often ill after giving plasma. I learned a lot about an industry I never thought about.

Kathleen McLaughlin's Blood Money is an expose into the world of plasma donation across the United States and with a few trips across the globe.

McLaughlin first became interested in this because of her own experiences taking plasma-derived medications to mitigate the symptoms of her nerve disease. When she couldn't take her medications into China, she decided to look into the devastation that plasma donation caused entire communities and to see how it exists within the US.

Somehow she manages to dive into individual experiences and socio-economic issues about such a niche subject without becoming dry or too repetitive. Since some of the experiences and consequences are similar, some parts do become redundant but nothing that the reader can't skim over.

I appreciated that she was able to interview participants and put a human face to the industry in a way that didn't condescend to people who donate their plasma for whatever reason. She also manages to explore the history of plasma and blood donation in a way that isn't dry or too scientific.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book for an honest review.