Reviews tagging 'Racism'
Castas: As Origens do Nosso Descontentamento, by Isabel Wilkerson
110 reviews
hmbrokaw's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
A phenomenal look at what exactly caste is. Any yt person interested in anti-racism work should read this. It’s heavy and hard to read, but in all the ways it should be when reading about the oppression of billions. Don’t expect to feel good about yourself- expect to learn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Genocide, Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Death
pmhandley's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
5.0
This was incredibly informative and provided a deep explanation of how the caste system exists in America without being overly academic or dense. Wilkerson's background as a journalist allows her to explain a complicated topic with a lot of historical information wedged in without ever sounding dry or losing your attention. This is definitely a worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, and Racial slurs
choicepotatoes_oldold's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.75
TL;DR - 4.75 stars - highly, highly recommend
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Three things I'm still thinking about after reading this book:
» There are no Black people outside of America
» Germany looked to America for inspiration when creating their caste system during the Third Reich.
» Many of the health problems associated with Black folks in America (high blood pressure, etc) are not problems associated with folks in Africa. The stress of being Black in America has a physical cost, and middle- and upper-class Black women are particularly impacted.
As well as the audiobook was narrated, I'm fairly certain I'll have to read it again--as a physical book--to more fully digest the contents.
---
Three things I'm still thinking about after reading this book:
Spoiler
» There are no Black people outside of America
» Germany looked to America for inspiration when creating their caste system during the Third Reich.
» Many of the health problems associated with Black folks in America (high blood pressure, etc) are not problems associated with folks in Africa. The stress of being Black in America has a physical cost, and middle- and upper-class Black women are particularly impacted.
As well as the audiobook was narrated, I'm fairly certain I'll have to read it again--as a physical book--to more fully digest the contents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Antisemitism, and Racism
lpfoley's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A really brilliant take on the history of what it means to be Black in America and the social constructs that create and perpetuate oppression. Accessible, thorough, and inviting, Wilkerson walks the line between calling out the behaviors and attitudes that have created what she designated as a caste system in the US as well as discussing the broader pressures at work to sustain it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Genocide, Violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Medical trauma, and Hate crime
kemrick19's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Slavery, Racism, Hate crime, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Classism
Moderate: Death of parent and Colonisation
scarroll178's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Racism, and Racial slurs
grubloved's review against another edition
it spends so much time trying to assure the reader that racism is real that it doesn't actually do any meaningful analysis?? it kind of reads like a baby's first racism primer. weird also that it kind of handwaves the entire existence of every racial group other than black and white; it makes sense once you understand it is specifically a book about antiblack racism in america, but even the book seems confused about what its purpose is, continually claiming to describe an entire system and then only fixating on one aspect -- feels a little shallow.
also weird that india's caste system is a selling point but is honestly barely present in the book, and that nazi germany is consistently held up as another state creating an underclass (the goal wasn't an underclass of jews. it was no more jews. this is not very analogous to a caste system).
the alpha wolf chapter was also absolutely atrocious and i think is a really good example of a lot of the problems i had with the text. it was really strange for the book to claim that racism's big downsides are largely that naturally superior people who happen to be in the wrong caste can't assume their rightful place as leaders, and that naturally inferior people who are in the upper caste should be allowed to be ruled by their betters ??? it continually seems to insist that hierarchy is not the problem, but that it is simply a wrong hierarchy and that we should adjust to follow a better natural order. just really really strange to read in a book about racism.
i really enjoyed the pillars of caste section but the rest of it just wasn't the indepth reading i was here for.
also weird that india's caste system is a selling point but is honestly barely present in the book, and that nazi germany is consistently held up as another state creating an underclass (the goal wasn't an underclass of jews. it was no more jews. this is not very analogous to a caste system).
the alpha wolf chapter was also absolutely atrocious and i think is a really good example of a lot of the problems i had with the text. it was really strange for the book to claim that racism's big downsides are largely that naturally superior people who happen to be in the wrong caste can't assume their rightful place as leaders, and that naturally inferior people who are in the upper caste should be allowed to be ruled by their betters ??? it continually seems to insist that hierarchy is not the problem, but that it is simply a wrong hierarchy and that we should adjust to follow a better natural order. just really really strange to read in a book about racism.
i really enjoyed the pillars of caste section but the rest of it just wasn't the indepth reading i was here for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Confinement, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Classism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Rape, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Child death, Colonisation, Torture, Racism, and Murder
jillgoober's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.5
In this non-fiction book, Isabel Wilkerson explores the idea that the United States has a caste system based on race, but most people would rather not acknowledge or believe that. She compares our country to the caste system in India as well as Nazi Germany. Some of these comparisons might seem far-fetched without context, but after reading this book, I've realized that it's actually frightening how similar some of our practices are.
To me, the most impactful part of this book discussed the consequences of caste. The rampant racism in our country negatively affects black people's lives in more ways than you would immediately think. For example, the everyday stress causes the life expectancy for African Americans to be lower than that of white Americans. This is not true of black people in other first world countries. Caste also negatively affects everyone involved. White people will turn down things like universal health insurance just so black people can't have it. It's almost childish, honestly.
Overall, this is a great book to read if you need a wake up call about how prevalent and embedded racism is in America. This isn't dense or difficult to read and the data and facts are interspersed with stories as well.
To me, the most impactful part of this book discussed the consequences of caste. The rampant racism in our country negatively affects black people's lives in more ways than you would immediately think. For example, the everyday stress causes the life expectancy for African Americans to be lower than that of white Americans. This is not true of black people in other first world countries. Caste also negatively affects everyone involved. White people will turn down things like universal health insurance just so black people can't have it. It's almost childish, honestly.
Overall, this is a great book to read if you need a wake up call about how prevalent and embedded racism is in America. This isn't dense or difficult to read and the data and facts are interspersed with stories as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Racism
victoriarose12's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Addiction and Murder
shoshin's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Sometimes, it's easiest to understand what is happening around you by finding a way to step outside it to describe it. Wilkerson does that brilliantly with this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Genocide, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism and Classism