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A review by wanderlustsleeping
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Surprisingly, I DNFed this title after getting 42% through it.
At first I was intrigued by the notion and usage of caste and the comparison to India, the Nazi Regime, and the history of slavery and African-Americans in the U.S. but at almost half way through I had just had enough. For any person even slightly educated or familiar with these harrowing matters, nothing new is being said, and I just kept having to listen about the pain and horrifying events done to so many people, with a huge emphasis on my black ancestors. It hurt for me to listen to these stories. I was sticking with it for educational purposes, but switching out “black” and “white” for caste-coded pseudonyms, wasn’t enough to teach me anything new, it was just me having to hear these horrifying stories all over again.
At first I was intrigued by the notion and usage of caste and the comparison to India, the Nazi Regime, and the history of slavery and African-Americans in the U.S. but at almost half way through I had just had enough. For any person even slightly educated or familiar with these harrowing matters, nothing new is being said, and I just kept having to listen about the pain and horrifying events done to so many people, with a huge emphasis on my black ancestors. It hurt for me to listen to these stories. I was sticking with it for educational purposes, but switching out “black” and “white” for caste-coded pseudonyms, wasn’t enough to teach me anything new, it was just me having to hear these horrifying stories all over again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Xenophobia