Divided: Racism, Medicine and Why We Need to Decolonise Healthcare by Dr. Annabel Sowemimo has won the 2024 Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing. Organized by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers in collaboration with Five Leaves Bookshop in Nottingham and Lighthouse: Edinburgh's Radical Bookshop, the prize "celebrates radical, accessible, and politically-left nonfiction which offers new perspectives and insights." The winner receives £500 (about $655).
The judges said: "Divided fit all of the criteria for the Bread and Roses Award. It is unique in its radical nature and widely encompassing in its coverage of the issues in the healthcare system. It contributes greatly and robustly to the discussion of racism in U.K. healthcare, particularly given that this issue is most often discussed in mainstream spaces with reference to the U.S. Sowemimo discusses racism and inequality in healthcare through personal experiences and rigorous research that is resonant across generations. This book is not only timely, but also indispensable to those who work in healthcare, care about healthcare, and interact with healthcare in the U.K.--which is to say every one of us."
Although the decision to select the winner was unanimous, also highlighted were two other books: I Feel No Peace: Rohingya Fleeing Over Seas & Rivers by Kaamil Ahmed and Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity by Hil Aked. The judges noted: "At this time of genuine terror, loss of life and political strife across the world and in the U.K., the judges feel that these books are indispensable in understanding how we got to this point and where we can go now. They shed light on issues that are mired in miscommunication and disinformation. We sincerely hope that they will be read widely and used to provide further nuance to the issues of migration, foreign relations, and international justice and human rights."