An extraordinary and exhaustive piece of scholarship that has changed the way I think about race in America. Wilkerson reframes race as a mechanism of a caste system originating from America’s slave past. This system dictates everything from policing (‘a distant echo of an earlier time when anyone in the dominant caste was deputised, obligated even, to apprehend any black person during the era of slavery’) to ideals of beauty (‘they learn to rank themselves by their proximity to the random traits associated with the dominant caste’). This is both revolutionary and intuitive - Wilkerson tells us what we know in our bones to be true as she autopsies this invisible and insidious system. She explains what otherwise is incomprehensible - the willingness of ordinary people to partake in gross crimes against another group of people on the basis of something as flimsy as skin pigmentation or the shape of a nose, in protection of a caste order that punishes these subordinates for any hint of humanity.
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This book examines the damage that caste does both to the subordinate caste as well as their dominant counterparts, and to all the groups stuck in between battling for acceptance into the latter. There are no winners in this system in which we are ‘all cast into assigned roles to meet the needs of the larger production. None of us are ourselves’. ⁣
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Hardest to read are the anecdotes which emphasise the human costs of caste. These illustrate how the caste system breaks down those it deems subordinate - a black child had to sit behind a fence and watch whilst his white teammates splashed around in a pool he was not allowed into, a store manager refused to believe that Wilkerson was the interviewer from the NYT he had been waiting for all afternoon, and a young teenage boy was murdered simply for daring to write a love letter to a girl from a caste above his. Yet these are also the most powerful parts of the book, for it is when we look past caste and recognise humanity that we may begin to⁣ dismantle this system.

This has to be read by everyone, following Oprah’s readings and discussions it was fabulous to delve into really learning this book.
Amazing must read for all ages.

𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐞
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Thank you to Allen Lane, Penguin and Netgalley for approving me to read 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 by Isabel Wilkerson.
I don't know what words I can offer that haven't already been said about this book, but I would encourage EVERYONE to read it.
I took my time reading this book, because I wanted to absorb and digest the information, but also as I'm quite an empathetic person it did make me respond emotionally. There is no doubt that we need to do more collectively to break down the invisible but very real barriers of caste.
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𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 ... 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦
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Throughout the book, Wilkerson speaks about caste structures of power using examples from multiple societies and geographies, including comparisons between America, India and Nazi Germany.
I shouldn't be so ignorant as to say that I'm shocked and appalled anymore, but I really was shocked at some the facts that seem so humanely wrong (like the fact that racial marriage laws in Alabama were only overturned in 2000 - yes you read that right) and appalled at some of the stories that Wilkerson shared, including that the Nazi's treatment of Jewish people was actually based on American/colonial treatment of enslaved people of colour.
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𝐀 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬
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I found the structure and flow of this book particularly engaging for such a hard-hitting read, as it uses relayed facts alongside real-life stories - both from Wilkerson herself, and from other people throughout history who are in different caste positions and systems.
I think this book is incredibly important and that everyone seriously needs to read it to recognise and understand the nuances of caste structures, so we can work to change them at least in our own lives.
We should all embrace radical empathy, and keep learning and acting to do better.
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𝐈𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤, 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐚 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞-𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭-𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 ... 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜, 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐱 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝

Isabel Wilkerson is an exceptionally gifted writer in that she has that great skill of communicating something heavy and complex through anecdotes and beautifully structured writing. "Caste" shares this characteristic with her earlier work "The Warmth of Other Suns" and, as a result, is both gloriously readable and absorbing.
In "Caste" she examines and compares how caste has deeply impacted three different communities. The Untouchables in India, The Jews in Nazi Germany and the Black African in America. This is not a comfortable topic but, in my view, Wilkerson's clarity of presentation argues this book should be both an essential and an educational text for the widest possible audience. If we are truly to live as a collection of humans rather than a collection of castes we first need to recognise what caste is. This book certainly opened my eyes and - to quote Wilkerson - "A world without caste would set everyone free." If you read only one book in 2020 this should be it!

In the light of the most recent examples of police brutality in the US and Black Lives Matter campaign, this is an important, eye-opening book and a wake up call. The argument of Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste, that social divisions in the US are more alike to the caste system in India (and the caste system Nazi regime imposed on Germany in the 1930s and 40s) than to a class system is not new. Wilkerson credits Allison Davis, largely forgotten African-American anthropologist as the “spiritual father in the understanding of caste in America” for his groundbreaking research conducted in early 1940s. What her own impressive research shows however, is just how deeply ingrained and systematic discrimination and oppression on the basis of the colour of one’s skin is in America today. While her arguments are passionate and admirably hopeful, I was left with unsettling thoughts and questions about the state of democracy in America as well as inequality in the wider world.

A must read, highly recommended. My thanks to Penguin, Allen Lane and Netgalley for an opportunity to read Caste.

I ran a positive review of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites. I ran a positive review of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites. I ran a positive review of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites.

W O W. Caste blew my mind and I'm definitely going to purchase a copy for notation.
Previously upon hearing the word "caste" my brain would go to India. No longer is that is the case. I highly encourage anyone that is working on anti-racism learning. At times, reading Caste felt like a punch to the gut, but this is a deep dive into prejudice in hierarchical society - it should be expected.

A vital and devastating read, this is the ideal companion to Wilkerson’s ‘The Warmth of Other Suns’ which I previously reviewed. Where Warmth of Other Suns focused on the personal stories and heartbreak of Black people in America, Caste provides an even more in depth analysis and factual account of the discrimination and dehumanisation of Black people, as well as looking at the Indian caste system, and Nazi Germany.
“Caste is the granting or withholding of respect, status, honor, attention, privileges, resources, benefit of the doubt, and human kindness to someone on the basis of their perceived rank or standing in the hierarchy.”
It seems unimaginable to me that anyone could be treated so terribly due to the colour of their skin, or their family name, and yet here it is plainly laid out in front of us in an educated and confronting way. This does not make for an easy read - there were times I wanted to close my eyes and pretend these atrocities were fiction, but for us to make any positive change I think this is an absolutely necessary read.

Much like her previous book, The Warmth of Other Suns, Caste by Isabel Wilkerson is brilliantly written and fascinating. Her writing is wonderful and accessible. An excellent book.

I have been reading Caste with absolute horror. It brings total clarity to the social structures that shape our culture and that of the United States. The language that we use to talk about people, that we accept, is all a recent invention. Race is an invention, as it defining us by the colour of our skin. We hold the Nazis up as the horror story of recent history when all they did is watered down what was going on in the United States. All of this needs to be taught in every school to enable an honest conversation about our history.

In Caste, Isabel Wilkerson addresses the rampant inequality between different classes of citizen as well as different races and the incontrovertible link between the systematic oppression of people of colour throughout The United States and abject poverty, health issues and so many more negatives. She talks about the rise of white supremacy and how dangerous it is by cleverly harking back to Nazi ideology and its harrowing consequences. There is also mention of India and the nuances of their unfair caste system where unwritten order is maintained by those holding the power and where the power dynamic between rich and poor, black and white is severely unbalanced, as it is the world over, with the country still being affected by colonialism / imperialism today. It is startling clear that this is a global problem rather than a domestic one and even though the basis of this book is the current situation in America, and I happen to be British, that is completely irrelevant; the us versus them mentality is everywhere and it’s high time things changed. Egalitarianism is the aim but whether we will ever achieve this utopian ideal is debatable.

This is an extensively researched, highly thought-provoking and eminently readable book which touches on timely topical issues and remains fascinating and engaging in tone throughout. Isabel Wilkerson is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to writing powerful, mind-altering reads and this is right up there with her preceding books in terms of quality and honesty. Undoubtedly, it should be required reading for all of those who wish to understand our world a little better. Accessible, hard-hitting and often tough to read in places, Caste gets to the heart of matters we really shouldn't STILL be having to discuss. It’s sad that the old adage ’divide and conquer’ remains the order of the day for many people. Demagogues survive and thrive by sowing seeds of division and by attaching negativity to certain races through propaganda in order to turn the tide of public opinion against said race, so it is necessary now more than ever for us to question what we are told by government, media, corporations and others who hold the power to effect change. Down with the patriarchy, imperialism / colonialism, fascism and white supremacy; I am white, for the record. Highly recommended.

An interesting read, although based in the USA it still has its comparisons with the UK , although not the same class system I always think regardless of countries ideology or system that the same treatment goes on by those in power everywhere. This book compares the caste systems across several counties and the parallels held in the USA where the caste is based on rac. It’s an interesting book, difficult reading, but reading about privilege and systems set by white supremacy shouldn’t be comfortable reading. It was a big book, but it doesn’t feel it, it’s so well written, well structured and absorbing, you don’t notice how long it is. Thought provoking and powerful, the questions raised resonate with you long after and hopefully will long term.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Wilkerson's analysis of caste in America and the comparison she makes between the caste system in the US and the caste systems in Nazi Germany and India is well thought-out and supported by moving examples from throughout history. What I really admired about the book was how it relayed a sense of empathy and a strong desire for change and for a future where caste will no longer be a barrier for African Americans in the US. Wilkerson achieves this by including human examples of the theories she sets out. You can read a sentence that says black people are racially profiled at a disproportionate rate and, while true, it means so much more when set alongside Wilkerson's own experience of being escorted on a business trip by drug law enforcement officials based on nothing other than her caste and the assumptions made about those from that caste.

Wilkerson is clear that caste is distinct and separate from class and race, though the three often overlap, because caste is structural and relies on each caste performing its role within the system. White people or, as Wilkerson calls them, the dominant caste have a vested interest in maintaining the system as it is because it gives them an immutable right to supremacy. So even if, by voting for a black or female president they may receive cheaper or even free healthcare, they would rather forego that in favour of maintaining their dominance. It was sad to read the examples Wilkerson gave because I could see how both the dominant and lower castes suffered from this rigid and unfair system.

While Germany managed to dismantle their caste system, the caste system in India and in the US is alive and well. The question is how do we change that? While Wilkerson does not go so far as to answer that question she provides some solid evidence for why it would be in all our best interests to do away with caste. Towards the end of the book she ponders on what talent we may have lost through the eradication and suppression of people based on caste. How many Albert Einsteins have we killed or robbed of their full potential through the reluctance of the dominant caste to relinquish their position in society? In posing this question, she makes it clear that as a human race we do ourselves a disservice by allowing caste structures to exist. Caste brings out the worst in us, gives us inflated ideas of importance or reduced levels of self worth based on illogical and arbitrary parameters. Without it, who knows what we could achieve together.

I have enjoyed reading this book. It draws parallels between different countries and helps to understand the issue of racism and discrimination, and how deeply rooted it really is. Despite the book being relatively long, it is easy to read and it offers lot of information.

I’m not American and I’m all too aware of the class system which operates – somewhat differently – in the UK. This was a fascinating and uncomfortable read. The premise being that the US might preach liberte, egalite, fraternite but it's still operating an unnamed caste system not unlike that of India. This caste system is based on ethnicity and skin colour, and the strains of living whilst black cannot be under estimated. I cannot comment on how accurate this is in terms of personal experience, but it certainly rings true. Wilkerson has clearly done her research and the book is accessible and easy to read (in terms of style at least.)