Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Socio-Political
ASIN: BB084FLWDQG
Audiobook ASIN: B085VXLKRJ
File Size: 3654 KB
ISBN-10: 0593230256
ISBN-13: 978-0593230251
Pages: 496

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson, was an eye-opener to me, never had I considered that a caste system existed in the US. Ms. Wilkerson posits eight pillars to support her belief that the caste system flourishes in this country. I found her logic succinct, and her ample stories made it easy for me to understand the origins of caste and how and why it thrives in today’s society. This book should be mandatory reading for anyone, especially Whites, who wish to understand our country’s socio-political unrest better.

I found her examples shocking, at times upsetting, and all too painfully honest. It was not easy to hear all the information (and may require a second read to digest), but it was necessary. It made me angry to realize how deceived I have been, to learn that the Nazis built their Master Race on the American White Supremacy model and that it is ever more difficult for BIPOC to rise from the lower castes.

The book ends on a positive but skeptical tone: until Whites acknowledge caste’s existence and work to dismantle it, it will continue to grow. It is up to each of us, especially those in the upper, White rung, to decide whether we will continue with this racist caste or work to take it down.

I fully enjoyed the author’s style and logical progression from one concept to the other. Robin Miles, the narrator of the audiobook, was perfect. I highly recommend Caste.