This is a really important national study of health disparities in the US - mainly health disparities between African Americans and Caucasians (but other ethnic groups are occasionally mentioned). It shows that African Americans experience higher rates of certain medical conditions than other ethnic groups (e.g. diabetes), but also identifies clinical and practical barriers and forms of discrimination which result in inferior treatment. Importantly, it does not address inequalities which stem from discrepancies in insurance coverage -- this is a major limitation, I think. A word of warning - this is published by the National Institutes of Medicine, so it is incredibly academic - there is a comprehensive, but somewhat excessive, literature review of some topics that lasts 126 pages. Useful for public health/epidemiology students (particularly grad students), but not for the general reader.