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Comments (97)

Caste

the Origins of Our Discontents
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Mar 04, 2024mmichelleng21 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Highly recommend. Very informative, insightful and comprehensive book that covered the caste system primarily in USA, with a few references to Nazi Germany and India. Delved into the history of slavery, the internalized subconscious racism…
Feb 29, 2024msmith1974 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Every American should read this book. It clarifies many issues and describes the ways that discrimination undermines society for everyone. Far from “baseless claims” (as one reader here comments), there are 44 pages of notes and a 10-page…
Feb 19, 2024irbykm rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent book brings a much needed & fresh perspective to a very old problem. A refreshing applicable concept for new generations to ponder & contemplate next steps. Highly recommend this book.
Feb 08, 2024ssarkar97 rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
It's a very biased book and is of little value. It baselessly tries to relate the US, Nazi Germany and India using the Portuguese word "caste". It makes completely baseless claims. The author's go-to method is to narrate an anecdote and…
Jul 25, 2023
Another must read for high school ages and up!
Jun 16, 2023Cannes3 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
The book does much telling, little “showing,” and supports its pronouncements with quoted research from other, mostly academic, sources. Much is generic observations about present day social stratification that should be shared by anyone…
May 03, 2023Novicia rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Could not put it down once I picked it up. I have recommended it to so many of my friends and family and read everything of hers That I’ve found. Love it!
Apr 25, 2023Joanne_64 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Read it. The research, organization, and presentation are amazing. Ms. Wilkerson is an amazing author, and speaks truth, hard as it is to hear.
Apr 24, 2023ayanrivera rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
required reading. the truth, while it may often piss you off and make you cry, will strive to set you free.
Apr 08, 2023Fairestwood rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The information this book provided was monumental though not entirely complete. There was no mention of caste existing in the continent of Africa though there must have been. Empires were created at the expense of the conquered, many whom…
Mar 16, 2023Leah_R rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Definitely should be required reading for everyone, but those who need to read it probably won't. With an 11 page bibliography, and 85 pages of notes, in the large print addition, I do not understand how anyone could say "few references…
Feb 20, 2023sfojws55 rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
This book will provide some useful information for those who have done little or no reading about the unwritten systems that underlie social, racial, and economic inequality in the US. This probably explains its popularity. It’s basically…
Feb 08, 2023d_joray rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Just wow, this should be required reading in schools. I didn’t understand near as much as I thought I did. Appreciate all the time, research, and heartache that must’ve went into writing this book.
Dec 11, 2022
Wilkerson is blunt in her discussion of racism and caste discrimination, but I appreciated all of the research that went into creating such a powerful book.
Aug 08, 2022NellieJBanks rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is the book that really explained to me the racial situation in the US, how it came to be, how it was reinforced over the years, and how it persists today. This book along with her first work 'The Warmth of Other Suns' deserve to be…
Apr 21, 2022TAAccuntius rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This was a difficult book to read. Isabel Wilkerson does does a great job helping us to understand why the USA is in the place it is with regard to racism. Some of the stories broke my heart. I highly recommend for anyone who wants to…
Mar 06, 2022DavidSpencer99 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I did not feel threatened by this book. Enlightened, yes. Informed and intellectually stimulated, for sure. But I found nothing threatening in its well-supported premise: i.e., the U.S. has a caste system that blocks the economic, social,…
Feb 15, 2022merrywheaton rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Well researched look at caste in India, Nazi Germany and the U.S. Important and well written but not as compelling as The Warmth of Other Suns.
Feb 08, 2022lckoren rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I thought it was excellent, well written, accessible and important. Her theme of how caste has had such a negative impact across the countries where it has flourished is convincing and powerful . I leaned many things I had not previously…
Jan 07, 2022OPL_AnnaW rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Every American with a desire to better understand how we arrived at our current stratified society should read this book. Highly readable and compelling nonfiction.
Dec 31, 2021mcrosby57 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Learned some things. Depressing. Strong point of biased view. While I'm comfortable with biased points of view, I also appreciate proposed solutions. This author did not share any solutions that would make the situation better.
Dec 26, 202112th rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Wilkerson stereotypes all blacks as subservient and all whites as dominant and takes terrible Jim Crow laws and appends her caste message. Her anecdotes for recent encounters are attributed to racism with zero evidence. For example, a…
Dec 15, 2021dcreynolds2 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book should be required reading for all Americans. Wilkerson spells out so well why we have so many race and class problems in this country. In a way I’ve never heard before. I believe I will be a better, more empathetic citizen going…
Dec 08, 2021neyoscribbles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Definitely recommend this book as an eye opener to several different perspectives and critiques from experts in the field. The author starts with a history of caste systems and makes stark comparisons to Nazism, the Indian caste system and…
Nov 22, 2021sharolbookfiend rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This was a masterclass on caste in the US and, like any master class, one never looks at the world the same way again after its completion. An excellent book, I highly recommend it for anyone, especially those who live in this country.