Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Caste: The Lies That Divide Us

Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Caste: The Lies That Divide Us by Isabel Wilkerson

98 reviews

mikaelaandherbooks's review against another edition

There are so many great points made and historical events/facts shared that I did not know before; I just don’t think historical nonfic is for me. I couldn’t keep up with it.

Content Warnings

nexusgoblin's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Content Warnings

leweylibrary's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

"A world without caste would set everyone free."

People have been recommending this book to me for ages--I've even included it on many book displays--and now I know why. This truly should be required reading in America along with Stamped from the Beginning. The term racism really doesn't go far enough to explain this country's ills, but the argument that Wilkerson lays out for caste does. I learned so much and feel like this book really filled a lot of the gaps in my knowledge. Wilkerson does such an amazing job explaining such difficult phenomena in an accessible way, and now I feel like I need to buy a physical copy so I can reread it and mark things I want to remember and come back to later. This is one of those books that you continue to think about long after you finish it.

I also have to say I LOVE how the whole way through the abuse of Black people in America is compared to Jews in the Holocaust. I can imagine so many people HATE that comparison and think it goes way too far, and that's precisely why I love it. It goes exactly far enough.

Content Warnings

arthur_harris's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

This book pulls absolutely no punches. It lays out the facts of its subject matter with a kind of frank, unflinching look at the truth that is so constantly softened and blunted in history. Deeply, grimly informative on the true history of the Black experience in the United States. A harsh reality check for those - like me - who grew up with a whitewashed view of American history. While this book is a difficult read in many ways, that is part of what makes it such a necessary one. It forces the reader to examine the deeply ingrained racism baked into the foundation of America, and the subsequent role of the (non-Black) reader in that racist system. An absolutely vital piece of literature.

Content Warnings

wanderlustsleeping's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

jess_westhafer's review against another edition

Go to review page

I felt like I got everything out of this book I was going to in the pages I read. The ideas started to seem redundant, and I didn’t feel the need to keep going.

Content Warnings