Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

100 reviews

hannahwinston's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective tense slow-paced

4.0

Whatever you think you know about the origins of racism/classism/caste, this book goes even further.

While I knew a lot about the American Caste, I did not know how much it influenced Nazis. There were several lines that blew my mind but this one, about selling souvenirs from lynchings during the Jim Crow Era, knocked me off my feet:

“This was singularly American. Even the Nazis did not stoop to selling souvenirs of Auschwitz, wrote time magazine many years later.”

The biggest takeaway/reminder:

“Evil asks little of the dominant caste other than to sit back and do nothing. All that it needs from bystanders is their silent complicity in the evil committed on their behalf.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

elizas's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Slavery

apersonfromflorida's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Violence

shawnapantzke's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Slavery, Xenophobia, and Classism

readandfindout's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

4.0

Style/writing: 3.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Perspective: 4 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Misogyny

meaghanelizabook's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Police brutality, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

micaelamariem's review against another edition

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

robbiehuman's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Classism

Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Colonisation

Minor: Cancer and Cultural appropriation

elisalasater's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Medical trauma

shadereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Gun violence and Police brutality

Minor: Death of parent