Hi! I took a little unplanned break from posting here because I was just not feeling very creative lately. I have about 7 or so reviews to catch up on so I wanted to start with the one I read first. Today I’m sharing my review of Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.
Synopsis
The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.
“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.”
In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.
Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.
Why I Decided to Read this Book
This was an Oprah’s book club pick last year and I had heard so many great things about it. The size was actually intimidating (its a big book!) but I realized a lot of pages at the end are references so its not that big. I ended up listening to the audiobook and I’m so glad I did.
Rating
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My Thoughts
This is a must read! As mentioned in the synopsis the book makes comparisons of the US caste system to the India caste system and Nazi Germany. While there were some concepts I was familiar with there’s so much to be learned from this book. This book helps you understand the why of so many of our systems and injustices that exist now (which is infuriating!). You can tell the author did a lot of research and referenced many scholars that study this topic.
I really liked Isabel Wilkerson’s writing and how she incorporated stories from her personal life to drive some of the points home. I like reading Non-fiction books but sometimes they can be very dry. This book was so well written that it kept me engaged and I wanted to keep listening/learning. I really enjoyed the audiobook narration and definitely recommend that format for this one.
There’s so much I could say about this book but I think its best if you read it for yourself. I would also recommend this to a book club since it is a great book for a group discussion.
Content Warnings
Racism, slavery, hate crime, violence, police brutality, antisemitism, death
Who I Recommend this Book to
This is a book that I feel everyone should read! It should probably be taught in schools and I think everyone would get something out of it.
Get the Book!
Did this review of Caste convince you to read it? Check out the links below to get it from Bookshop.org and libro.fm. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.
If you’ve read this book let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Yay new blog post! This is a must read for me and as soon as I read we must discuss! It sounds like the best book for deep discussions.