The Shortest History of Eugenics

Warming soups and slurp-able noodles. Refreshing vegetable sides. Indulgent street foods. Adorable bite-size desserts.

Japanese French chef Julia Boucachard grew up devouring all of the above. When she went vegan, she was determined not to give up any of her childhood favorites. In Vegan Japan, she shows that cooking nourishing, flavor-packed plant-based Japanese food doesn't have to be complicated.

With an emphasis on seasonality, balanced flavors, and simple techniques, this is her plant-based celebration of Japanese cuisine and the myriad vegetables that make their way onto the Japanese plate. Inside, you'll find:

• The classics, including Kabocha Stew, Miso Butter Ramen, Yakisoba, Onigiri, Gyoza, Melon Pan, and many more
• Yoshoku (Western dishes given playful Japanese spins) like Napolitan and Japanese Potato Salad
• Cleverly veganized takes on meat and seafood dishes like Karaage and Maguro Don
• Even-better-homemade condiments and sauces such as Ponzu Sauce, Mentsuyu, and Japanese Mayonnaise
• Plus tempting street foods, wholesome vegetable sides, sweet desserts, and an illustrated guide to must-have Japanese pantry staples

With beautiful photography and charming illustrations throughout, Vegan Japan is your one-stop ticket to authentic plant-based Japanese home cooking.

"Peterson helps us see the motives and ideas behind eugenics as deeply embedded in the history of racism, imperialism, and colonialism. This book could not be more timely." -- James E. Strick, author of Sparks of Life: Darwinism and the Victorian Debates Over Spontaneous Generation
"Indispensable. This formidable history of eugenics helps us understand its continued importance in the modern discussion—from the American roots of Nazi atrocity to the continued use of eugenic practices today. It should be required reading." -- John Slattery, PhD, Executive Director, Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law, Duquesne University
"Reckoning with the eugenic past in all its complexity is a task for our times. In The Shortest History of Eugenics, Erik L. Peterson provides a concise survey that nevertheless gives that complexity its due, explaining how scientific ideas, medical techniques, economic incentives, and political ideologies combined to such ruinous effect, with legacies that persist right up to the present." -- Gregory Radick, author of Disputed Inheritance and professor of history and philosophy of science, University of Leeds
"A straight-talking, rollicking, and comprehensive romp through the history of eugenics. If you're new to the subject, this is an excellent place to start." -- Subhadra Das, author of Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made the West
"Concise and informative, The Shortest History of Eugenics clearly shows that ideas about (white) race betterment both preceded and followed the few decades we often describe as the eugenics era. The belief in the existence of inner essences that makes us who we are and in the societal need to control reproduction is still alive and well, and Peterson’s book is a vivid reminder of how these beliefs have resulted in past horrors that we had better avoid in the future. A tour-de-force." -- Kostas Kampourakis, author of Understanding Evolution

Erik L. Peterson, PhD, is Associate Provost and Associate Professor of the History of Science & Medicine at The University of Alabama. He publishes and teaches about the historical relationship between race and science in the United States and abroad.

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