Julie A. Minich

“Health, Justice, and Latina/o/x Expressive Culture” reconsiders the causes of racial health disparities and responds to contemporary debates around health care access in the United States. The Latina/o/x writers and artists examined in this study reject the notion that good health results from individual choices and behaviors, revealing instead the systemic factors—particularly the ability to obtain clean air and water, nutritious food, and cultural narratives depicting one’s life as valuable and worth living—that affect mental and physical well-being. In so doing, they reveal how literature and art can serve as valuable public health resources that offer new insights into how marginalized communities interact with health care systems and providers, understand well-being, and reimagine health. This book, therefore, argues not only for the importance of Latina/o/x cultural expression but also for the power of literature and art to intervene in urgent matters of public concern.