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thesauraz's review against another edition
5.0
It’s over two years since George Floyd’s murder, and I’ve felt a waning presence of racial justice literature. I wrongly thought this book would be another repetitive antiracist volume. Not at all. The angle of shared prosperity (the Solidarity Dividend) as it pertains also to white people is a very new concept that Heather McGhee summarized brilliantly. She gets extra points in my book too for including environmental justice!
Only critiques are her sometimes lengthy run-on sentences and overuse of hyperbole.
4.5 stars rounded up
Only critiques are her sometimes lengthy run-on sentences and overuse of hyperbole.
4.5 stars rounded up
checkplease's review against another edition
4.0
The thesis of ‘The Sum of Us’ is that, underlying sustained systemic racism and white advantage is the deeply entrenched narrative that equality represents a loss for white people. McGhee takes on this belief in chapters ranging from tax reform and voter rights to property ownership and school segregation, showing in a mostly clear fashion how the status quo hurts everyone. She illustrates how white people, time and again, would rather act in their own disinterest than see minoritized communities prosper. (The chapter on subprime mortgages and how racism drove the economic crash is a particular stunner.)
She provides a very compelling opening chapter about cities that closed their public pools rather than have to integrate them. The metaphor of “draining the pool” provides a thread as she moves across domains. I appreciated this framing and McGhee’s effective blend of data, stories, research, and personal narrative. I suspect people who’ve read copious books on social justice will still learn a great deal from this book. I know I did.
She provides a very compelling opening chapter about cities that closed their public pools rather than have to integrate them. The metaphor of “draining the pool” provides a thread as she moves across domains. I appreciated this framing and McGhee’s effective blend of data, stories, research, and personal narrative. I suspect people who’ve read copious books on social justice will still learn a great deal from this book. I know I did.
thatonekellygirl's review against another edition
5.0
Written by an economist, I went into this book thinking it would be dense and I prepared myself for working to get through it. Not the case! This was incredibly readable, which makes it very easy to recommend to anyone, and I took a lot away from it.
bohemiangem's review against another edition
5.0
Listened in audiobook and it was phenomenal!
"I know the enemy and it isn't each other". We should be asking ourselves who systemic racism is harming and helping, rather than being afraid of "others". The Sum of US breaks this down chapter by chapter, brick by brick. Each section was incredible and this is a book I look forward to buying in physical form to reference later.
"I know the enemy and it isn't each other". We should be asking ourselves who systemic racism is harming and helping, rather than being afraid of "others". The Sum of US breaks this down chapter by chapter, brick by brick. Each section was incredible and this is a book I look forward to buying in physical form to reference later.
teresa42's review against another edition
5.0
This book is filled with loads of information. I’ll read it again.
mmotleyu's review against another edition
5.0
Eye-opening and shocking and a different light shone on our racist America than I had read about before. How great to be uniquely American in that we can't stand the thought of people getting something that might not "deserve". We despise this so much that we will suffer from the consequences ourselves rather than "undeserving people" getting it too. The chapter that examined union busters really hit home for me.