Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

13 reviews

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Classism, Antisemitism, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, War, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Colonisation, Addiction, Abortion, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Infidelity, and Drug use

Casteism

chaoticnostalgia's review

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Slavery, Death, Child abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Classism, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Hate crime, Police brutality, Suicide, War, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic and Sexism

Minor: Mass/school shootings

micaelamariem's review

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

 found this book to be very educational, motivational, and eye-opening. It was interesting, though brutal, to learn the full scale of the history of caste in america and how awful we can be as humans. I think everyone could benefit from reading this. However, though I agree with Wilkerson on everything including the politics of today, I can see how it might polarize people to where they’d miss the point she’s trying to make. I also think the cohesiveness of the narrative could have been better. Still, overall a great read of a dark history and startling present! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Vomit, War, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Deportation, Pregnancy, Bullying, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Stalking, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Violence, Xenophobia, Suicide, and Torture

shadereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Hate crime, Slavery, Torture, and Racism

Moderate: Gun violence and Police brutality

Minor: Death of parent

tarines316's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Wilkerson provides an in depth analysis of America’s caste system and the history that has lead us to where we are. She uses personal stories and specific examples to illustrate the elements of caste. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Violence, Hate crime, Racism, Murder, Slavery, and Classism

Moderate: Antisemitism

Minor: Death of parent

kemrick19's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death of parent and Colonisation

bi_n_large's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Torture, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child death, Terminal illness, Classism, and Death

Minor: Death of parent, War, and Grief

arthur_harris's review

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Police brutality, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Colonisation, Slavery, Blood, Medical trauma, Racism, Child death, and Murder

youreawizardjerry's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Physical abuse, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Blood, Bullying, Body horror, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Death, and Death of parent

sydapel's review

informative reflective slow-paced

While I don't know that I completely agree with the fundamental hypothesis of this book (for may reasons, some of which I can articulate and some I can't), Wilkerson's ability to combine storytelling and and commentary on systematic racism in this country is done incredibly well. I do wish more time was spent on detailing the complexities of the Indian caste system, but that's a personal thing I don't think it detracts from the power this book has. (read as Part of SFCM's anti racism book club)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Antisemitism, Hate crime, Genocide, Racism, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Slavery, Sexism, Racial slurs, and Murder

Moderate: Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, and Terminal illness