A review by readwithbri
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee

5.0

 
"𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’˜π’π’“π’π’…'𝒔 π’Žπ’π’”π’• π’“π’‚π’…π’Šπ’„π’‚π’ π’†π’™π’‘π’†π’“π’Šπ’Žπ’†π’π’• π’Šπ’ π’…π’†π’Žπ’π’„π’“π’‚π’„π’š, 𝒂 π’π’‚π’•π’Šπ’π’ 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍 π’”π’•π’“π’‚π’π’ˆπ’†π’“π’” 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐 π’˜π’π’“π’Œ 𝒕𝒐 π’‡π’Šπ’π’… π’„π’π’π’π’†π’„π’•π’Šπ’π’ 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒔 π’˜π’† π’ˆπ’“π’π’˜ π’Žπ’π’“π’† π’…π’Šπ’—π’†π’“π’”π’† π’†π’—π’†π’“π’š π’…π’‚π’š." 
 
There are a few truths that we must face if we want to build a nation that is truly great: we are living on a stolen land built by stolen labor, the freedom and privilege that we enjoy is a product of the exploitation of a racial hierarchy, and that we are equipped to dismantle that hierarchy so that all of us, rather than just some of us, can be greater than the sum of us.
 
 Read this for: 
 
🌎 a complete dismantling of the idea that the majority suffers due to the gains of the minority 
πŸ’Έ compelling truths about the high costs of racism, white supremacy, systemic oppression, and denial in *all* communities –  be they white, nonwhite, liberal, conservative 
πŸ” eye-opening clarification about our shared realities and the invisible boundaries we all live within 
πŸ–ŠοΈ top notch writing, research, and accessible presentation- an expert blend of meticulous data analysis, personal experiences, and investigative research. 
🧭 guidance for realistic, hopeful, multi-racial solutions that can bend the moral arc of our nation back toward justice, and begin to transform America 
 
 
At this point, anyone who is aware of our nation’s history (and recent history) has been confronted with the hard realities that many of our problems, from housing to healthcare, education, voting rights, clean air, etc – can be traced to racial injustice. 
 
In The Sum of Us, you’ll unlock even more truths about our shared history as a nation, and take a closer look at the insidious ways that racial hierarchy has baited the white majority into believing in a false zero-sum model… and then use this book as a guidebook, as a roadmap into what solidarity actual looks like. 
 
This is simply excellent.