Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

By Isabel Wilkerson

Book Overview

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NEW YORK TIMES READERS PICK: 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY - OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK - ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR - TIME'S #1 NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

Referenced in the historic 2026 Supreme Court decision in the concurrence by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who, in affirming birthright citizenship, called the Reconstruction Amendments "an anticaste, antisubordination reset for the nation."

"An instant American classic and almost certainly the keynote nonfiction book of the American century thus far."--Dwight Garner, The New York Times

" Caste] changes the lens through which we see the world."--Oprah Winfrey for Time, "25 Books That Capture This American Moment"

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

"As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power--which groups have it and which do not."

Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people's lives and behavior and the nation's fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Isabel Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people--including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball's Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others--she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, O: The Oprah Magazine, NPR, Bloomberg, The Christian Science Monitor, New York Post, The New York Public Library, Fortune, Smithsonian Magazine, Marie Claire, Slate, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize - National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist - Winner of the Carl Sandburg Literary Award - Dayton Literary Prize Finalist - PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Finalist - PEN/Jean Stein Book Award Finalist - Kirkus Prize Finalist

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593230256
• ISBN13: 9780593230251
• Release Date: August 2020
• Publisher: Random House
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 1.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Soliloquy on “Caste”

After these many years of Trump poisoning the national consciousness, forcing us to turn away from indulging in the pleasant things in our lives to instead confront his daily affronts on decency, it is unavoidable that we sicken and tire of it all. It’s a human reaction to stress. It’s unavoidable. And it’s the core tenet of what he learned early in life: push his lies and cruelty with steady and constant pressure, waiting us all out until we give up. It is a complete parallel to how he conducts himself in litigation. He’s counting on that. While many, after a full decade, have finally tired of it and settled on simply wishing it would all just go away, there are thankfully still millions fighting his fascism with the original fervor. It is challenging. It can affect one’s life for far longer than the politics of it lasts, but it has always been so in a war. To stay in the fight means that our children and grandchildren will be free of the pain we now feel. What has also been a common practice in successfully fighting any war is propaganda, regular reminders of why the citizenry needs to either fight to the end or succumb to the control of the despot. While I have not yet begun (“to fight”—where have I heard that before?) to quaver, I sometimes still require certain “propaganda” to keep me going. Currently I am reading the book, “Caste”, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Isabel Wilkerson, perhaps one of the finest wordsmiths I have ever encountered. This exceptional volume thoroughly explains how the concepts of caste, race, and slavery came about, but it goes much farther. This is not the standard, run of the mill, “bash the badass” tome. Wilkerson writes so smoothly, in almost a conversational style, that the reader realizes early on that she’s not just talking about the racist treatment of colored peoples, but rather we are all in danger of becoming victims of caste. There have been a number of books on understanding Trump and trumpism that I have recommended in the past, like those written by his niece, Mary, but none have reached the level of sophistication in prose and straightforward truth of unassailable fact that “Caste” does. I cannot recommend “Caste” enough. If one needs one last, critical and rock-solid reminder of why we resist… this is it. I apologize for bloviating a soliloquy on politics, but I felt the need to profer this interesting, fascinating and perfectly written book for anyone who has ever wondered the eternal question: “Why?”.

Incredibly talented author

Isabel Wilkerson is a fantastic author. This book was filled with such knowledgeable insight. Immediately within the first couple chapters I was captivated by such educated interpretations and descriptions of America’s history of Caste. America’s past and present applications of Caste structure is haunting and pervasive and Wilkerson provided in depth examples of this spanning centuries.

You'll be a better person for reading it

I first saw the movie 'Origin' based on this book and was so moved that I purchased the book immediately after. Isabel is absolutely a master in her own right. I've never read a book so thoroughly and perfectly explained that no doubt remains of the truth. Nothing is left unexamined. You are forever changed by what you read as you realize, so profoundly, that you had absolutely no clue of what others, not in your caste, have lived through. She makes you get it, and you can't forget it.

A must read!

We need to understand... andvthis opens up a pandoras box many prefer to keep closed.