59 pages • 1 hour read
Nancy Scheper-HughesDeath Without Weeping
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1992A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Published in 1989, Death Without Weeping by Nancy Scheper-Hughes investigates the crisis of infant and early-child mortality in rural Brazilian Northeast communities. As an anthropologist and former aid worker, Scheper-Hughes explores how high rates of child mortality shape and "normalize" cultural attitudes, linking this phenomenon to unjust social systems and chronic malnutrition that residents endure in silence. The book discusses themes such as violence, loss of power over reproductive lives, and class conflict.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Nancy Scheper-Hughes' Death Without Weeping is widely praised for its in-depth, empathetic ethnographic study of motherhood and child mortality in Northeast Brazil. Positive insights highlight its rigorous research and poignant storytelling. However, some critics argue that its dense academic prose can be challenging for general readers.
Who Should Read Death Without Weeping?
Readers who would enjoy Death Without Weeping by Nancy Scheper-Hughes are typically interested in medical anthropology, social inequality, and human resilience. Fans of works like The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman or Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder would find this book compelling and insightful.