Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

105 reviews

maurob0ros's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Incredibly informative book about the dark history of the United States and how are caste system compares to others. An uncomfortable read, but one that will deepen and widen your view of race/caste relations in this country and others. If I were teaching US history or sociology, I would make this a core book in my class. It’s up there with. “A people’s history of the United States “. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Slavery, and Violence

plethora's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Isabel Wilkerson expertly presents the reality of North America in an unmistakable new light through drawing connections to both India’s and Germany’s caste systems. In a stark, honest, and objective compilation of historical events around the world, Wilkerson shows America who they are, and leaves the reader to decide what to do about it.

I have not experienced such an enlightening reframing of cultural norms since Chanel Miller’s “Know My Name”. Every person in the western world, and perhaps beyond, can benefit greatly by reading this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Moderate: Ableism, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, War, and Classism

genevakelly's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Murder

drought_season's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Police brutality, and Classism

Minor: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Pandemic/Epidemic

cal_the_queer's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

fanchera's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

annalisenak97's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

Absolutely top five of the most important books I'll read this year, maybe ever. Wilkerson offers ample evidence that the US is built on a caste system based on race and compares the American caste system to the castes in India and Nazi Germany. It's so SO compelling and makes a lot of sense, fitting the pieces of our current political landscape together. Wilkerson writes beautifully, and her quality of writing makes a heady concept digestible, accessible, and un-put-down-able. This book was oftentimes difficult to read because of the atrocities it describes, but it's our responsibility to face our history and to have the courage to learn, grow, and change. This work is an excellent tool to help its reader start doing that work. And ultimately it provides hope through radical empathy. Incredible scholarship.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Police brutality

useyourgoodeye's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

This book took me 16 days to read because I had to step away from it a lot to process it fully. Very eye opening and there is a movie out called Origin about the book that I'll be watching soon (Hulu). This is a very difficult and emotional book to get through. It requires you to examine your own life and the lives of others at a level which can make you uncomfortable, sad, and angry. Totally worth it though. It should be used in colleges across the world as required reading.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

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.

---

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

hexedmaiden's review

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Violence