Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

10 reviews

zombiezami's review against another edition

emotional informative slow-paced

2.75

I’m unsure why this book has become so popular. The theory the author puts forth is somewhat incoherent and is held together by a bunch of anecdata. I’m glad I read it so that I can be aware of its presence in the zeitgeist, but I got very little of the actual content. The author contends her little with colonization in her book, which I feel is a huge absence. She seems like the kind of person who wants to “save the soul” of America, when I’m over here shouting #landback. At the end she gives an impassioned plea for everyone to just be exposed to the true nature of US history, that that would cause everyone to wake up and fight for justice. I really don’t think that’s the case.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Abortion, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Casteism

chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism

Moderate: Sexism and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Mass/school shootings

micaelamariem's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

 found this book to be very educational, motivational, and eye-opening. It was interesting, though brutal, to learn the full scale of the history of caste in america and how awful we can be as humans. I think everyone could benefit from reading this. However, though I agree with Wilkerson on everything including the politics of today, I can see how it might polarize people to where they’d miss the point she’s trying to make. I also think the cohesiveness of the narrative could have been better. Still, overall a great read of a dark history and startling present! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, and Murder

Moderate: Sexism and Classism

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Trafficking, Murder, Classism, and Deportation

madradstarchild's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Torture

Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Drug use, Racial slurs, Rape, Colonisation, War, and Classism

sydapel's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

While I don't know that I completely agree with the fundamental hypothesis of this book (for may reasons, some of which I can articulate and some I can't), Wilkerson's ability to combine storytelling and and commentary on systematic racism in this country is done incredibly well. I do wish more time was spent on detailing the complexities of the Indian caste system, but that's a personal thing I don't think it detracts from the power this book has. (read as Part of SFCM's anti racism book club)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent

f18's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

Even going into this after reading reviews and therefore knowing it was more US-centric than international, I found it disappointing. The writing structure is multiple anecdotes per chapter followed by a sum-up of what Wilkerson was wanting to illustrate with those stories. It was not very intersectional and rarely mentioned groups outside of black and white when discussing the United States. While the anecdotes definitely have value it read more like a pop-social science book to me, which I suppose is the author's intention but not to my taste in nonfiction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicide, War, and Classism

Minor: Rape, Sexism, Xenophobia, Mass/school shootings, and Colonisation

aqtbenz's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder

junefish's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, and Religious bigotry