Summary and Analysis of: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

by Book Tigers

Genres: Sociology, Audiobook

Paperback

Published October 24, 2020

Reviews

[Neil Holder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is impressive. It is beautifully bound and laid out. I have read the first three chapters and skimmed through much of the rest. It is full of practical information. I have taken several pages of notes so far.

It is a fact that this book has already changed my life.

[Neha]

Caste is an approachable, welcoming read. I think Wilkerson does an amazing job at crafting an engaging narrative around her explanation of caste. I think she particularly excels at connecting the stories from the eras of slavery, reconstruction, and Jim Crow to her analysis. I think she falters in her analysis of the present day. I find it really hard to read her analysis of Obama's time in office which fails to mention his foreign policy decisions that killed brown and black folk around the world. Without a more Marxist analysis, it paints Obama as a do-gooder who was hampered by the dominant caste in his goals, which I don't agree with. Similarly with her Trump analysis, I think the economic state of America has a much bigger role than is explored in this book. Overall, Caste is a great introduction to understanding American racism and the stratifications within society, but is lacking a materialist Marxist perspective that would have tied in nicely with Wilkerson's analysis.

[Jeff Lundquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book is not a substitute in any way for reading the book, it does provide some good insights and analyses into the writing and the various chapters. It adds clarity to one's pondering about what is being said in the book. A good companion piece to the Isabel Wilkerson book, Caste: The Origins of our Discontent.

[John Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small book had a lot crammed into it, not lacking provoking thoughts. I am tempted to suggest that the author might develop more depth by researching individual countries and their historical development of "Castes", etc.

[Patricia C · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many typos. How does this get published? Did no one proof it?

[Tim Kinnear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caste is a finely written summary of various sectors of human systems that are created to separate, divide and distinguish one group of people from another. Some of these sectors include race, religion and sexuality.