Reviews tagging 'Slavery'
Castas: As Origens do Nosso Descontentamento, by Isabel Wilkerson
79 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
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
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
lizcastner's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Misogyny, Deportation, Antisemitism, Child death, Police brutality, Slavery, and Xenophobia
mikaelaandherbooks's review against another edition
There are so many great points made and historical events/facts shared that I did not know before; I just don’t think historical nonfic is for me. I couldn’t keep up with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Slavery
inlibrisveritas's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery, and Racism
Moderate: Murder and Rape
leweylibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
"A world without caste would set everyone free."
People have been recommending this book to me for ages--I've even included it on many book displays--and now I know why. This truly should be required reading in America along with Stamped from the Beginning. The term racism really doesn't go far enough to explain this country's ills, but the argument that Wilkerson lays out for caste does. I learned so much and feel like this book really filled a lot of the gaps in my knowledge. Wilkerson does such an amazing job explaining such difficult phenomena in an accessible way, and now I feel like I need to buy a physical copy so I can reread it and mark things I want to remember and come back to later. This is one of those books that you continue to think about long after you finish it.
I also have to say I LOVE how the whole way through the abuse of Black people in America is compared to Jews in the Holocaust. I can imagine so many people HATE that comparison and think it goes way too far, and that's precisely why I love it. It goes exactly far enough.
People have been recommending this book to me for ages--I've even included it on many book displays--and now I know why. This truly should be required reading in America along with Stamped from the Beginning. The term racism really doesn't go far enough to explain this country's ills, but the argument that Wilkerson lays out for caste does. I learned so much and feel like this book really filled a lot of the gaps in my knowledge. Wilkerson does such an amazing job explaining such difficult phenomena in an accessible way, and now I feel like I need to buy a physical copy so I can reread it and mark things I want to remember and come back to later. This is one of those books that you continue to think about long after you finish it.
I also have to say I LOVE how the whole way through the abuse of Black people in America is compared to Jews in the Holocaust. I can imagine so many people HATE that comparison and think it goes way too far, and that's precisely why I love it. It goes exactly far enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Genocide, and Antisemitism