The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
- Downloads：4927
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-10 00:20:13
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Heather McGhee
- ISBN：0525509585
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Katie Mohr
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Holy crap！ Read this book！ Right now！
Jayne Hunter
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What to say about this book？ In short， read it。 Please read it。 Take it slowly， let it soak in， mull it over。 McGhee presents hard driving research and data along with individual stories， conversations， and experiences as she seeks to understand and present to us how a zero-sum mindset led to and perpetuates racism in the U。S。 She also shows us examples of when people realized that working to make your neighbor's life better makes your life better as well。 She convincingly and artfully conveys t What to say about this book？ In short， read it。 Please read it。 Take it slowly， let it soak in， mull it over。 McGhee presents hard driving research and data along with individual stories， conversations， and experiences as she seeks to understand and present to us how a zero-sum mindset led to and perpetuates racism in the U。S。 She also shows us examples of when people realized that working to make your neighbor's life better makes your life better as well。 She convincingly and artfully conveys the message that my fate is inextricably linked to that of every other person in my community and in the country as a whole。 Truly a fabulous book。 。。。more
Molly
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I checked this out of the library but I am going to buy a copy for myself and probably a couple to lend/give to other folks also。 This book is really important and compelling - a critical read for all。
Mary Conway
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Much-needed and sobering assessment of the cost of racism on economic progress for all of us。 Well researched and documented， and includes new and horrifying data that most of us never learn。 Brings hope that we may overcome a troubling plague on our country。
Elena Varipatis
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I really liked this book and took a lot away from it。 Working in the racial justice field， I really appreciate when the author approaches the subject in a way that is fresh and innovative。 The author’s approach most definitely is。 I just wish that it was consistently less academic。 There were parts that were incredibly digestible for the lay person and I feel that the impact would only increase if the entire book had been written as such。 Still， an excellent read！
Jeff
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McGhee has written a vitally important book that makes the compelling case that racism in America has led us to a place where we have: a major wealth gap between the richest and poorest among us; dwindling and decaying public services if they exist at all; the Great Recession of 2008 because of the subprime mortgage debacle; no consistent healthcare safety net that puts us all at risk; segregated， underfunded schools; and catastrophic environmental damage because of unchecked pollution from indu McGhee has written a vitally important book that makes the compelling case that racism in America has led us to a place where we have: a major wealth gap between the richest and poorest among us; dwindling and decaying public services if they exist at all; the Great Recession of 2008 because of the subprime mortgage debacle; no consistent healthcare safety net that puts us all at risk; segregated， underfunded schools; and catastrophic environmental damage because of unchecked pollution from industries。Her main thesis is that racism in America is founded on a zero-sum myth that if people of color gain anything then it will be a net loss for white people。 She again and again shows why that is both not the case， but also how the policies that are designed to separate and remove services from the most marginalized in our communities end up hurting a majority of White people。 That is to say the policies disproportionately hurt people of color， but because White folks are the majority in our country more in raw numbers often end up on the short end of the stick。There were sections， like the one around climate change in particular， where I think she draws more causation out of a clear correlation than is necessary。 She points out that White people with more racial prejudice also are likely to be less trustful or government and against government regulations that might have some impact on climate change。 All true， and she pulls on a theory around social dominance and her zero-sum argument to say that racism has led to more entrenched anti-government sentiment， thus less regulations， and thus more greenhouse gas emissions。 While I think that is a contributing factor and environmental problems situated in redlined communities are clearly products of racism， the reasons for the anti-government views of the current Republican Party seem more complex and varied。 Alas though causation is hard to prove。 Overall， I think this is an important addition to the literature on racism’s impacts。 Her case is generally strong， and her call for organizing communities across difference to create what she calls solidarity dividends is heartening。 。。。more
Ren （A Bookish Balance）
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4。75/5 stars
Jennifer
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Audio book read by the author。 The first chapter or two was outstanding！ Like major epiphanies。 Each chapter after that dealt with specific issues。 Some I was somewhat familiar with; some were new to me。 All in all， very informative and interesting。
Karina Cortes
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There are not enough stars to give this book！ Soooooooo goood！！！！ Throughly researched with stories from real people， Heather talks about how racism hurts everyone。 From the closure of public pools， to the millions of white uninsured Americans， education， the housing crisis， and the environment， racist policies may hurt black and brown people the hardest， but will affect more white Americans。 Extremely eye-opening！ Zero-sum rhetoric is a lie。 One groups success does not mean another groups failu There are not enough stars to give this book！ Soooooooo goood！！！！ Throughly researched with stories from real people， Heather talks about how racism hurts everyone。 From the closure of public pools， to the millions of white uninsured Americans， education， the housing crisis， and the environment， racist policies may hurt black and brown people the hardest， but will affect more white Americans。 Extremely eye-opening！ Zero-sum rhetoric is a lie。 One groups success does not mean another groups failure。 We all succeed when we all succeed。 When one group suffers， we all suffer。 Do yourself a favor and read this book！！！！！！！！！ 。。。more
Marika
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It's brilliant and a must read to understand just how much the zero-sum theory is holding the country back。 It's brilliant and a must read to understand just how much the zero-sum theory is holding the country back。 。。。more
Bri
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a crash course in why we can't have nice things。 i usually read before bed and this book was a struggle because of the inevitable anxiety that would wake me in the middle of the night。 a crash course in why we can't have nice things。 i usually read before bed and this book was a struggle because of the inevitable anxiety that would wake me in the middle of the night。 。。。more
Brittania Anoai Gonzalez Deleon
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This is the perfect book for that friend that says they are “fiscally conservative but socially liberal” 🙄 There are some great points about intersectionality and where we should all be finding common ground
Ayelet
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It is disturbing to realize the extent to which racism has affected the well-being of everyone and the lengths which people will go to to deny others benefits。 I wish there was something practical I could do to help combat the problem。
Ariana Sanders
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Still going to give this 5 stars DESPITE too many Robin DiAngelo references。 It’s definitely an academic read so it’s not a page turner， but a really great look at systemic race issues that of course stem from economics。 It’s a lot of things I knew over lots of research， but she put it in one place！
Sharon
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This is so well-written and I loved the research and conversations shared。 Ending the hierarchy of human value will allow all of us better lives。 Can’t recommend this with more urgency。
Concetta Mangiaracina
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A must read before the dream of democracy is lost。
Snickerdoodle
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I've reached chapter 2 and I've already gotten a good dose of history。 I can see what she's saying。 Let's see where she goes。 I've reached chapter 2 and I've already gotten a good dose of history。 I can see what she's saying。 Let's see where she goes。 。。。more
Marcia Dehn-nix
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A must read for everyone。
Samantha Wall
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Add this to the list of required reading for all Americans。
Jack Kozlowski
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Concise。 Solutions-based。 Illuminating。
Joan
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Provocative， accesible read。 Marred by impossible to use endnotes。 Why did the publisher not insist on better notes？
Tonya
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Highly relevant and so， so full of information， resources， and possibilities。 I wish every American could and would read this， however I know the viewpoint of “racism isn’t our problem” shouts strongly。 If you are open to gaining more insight into the continued racial issues in our country， I highly recommend this one。
Alice
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McGhee provides a powerful perspective on the cost of racismfo everyone。
Dana Johnson-Perry
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I devoured this audiobook。 Heather McGhee is brilliant！
Kim Linam
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This is an ambitious read no doubt。 But so much easier to read than the research effort put in by this author。 She did a great job of mixing storytelling of compelling people and the historical facts of how we got here。 Instead of all of us trying to grab our piece of the pie， let’s just make the pie bigger！ Kudos to the author for not using that analogy but It’s one way I will remember this book。
Victoria
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This book is one that I slowly savoured rather than devoured， reading one chapter every day or so just to let it fully sink in。 The time and research put into this book are clear from the first couple of pages， and the content will shock many white people but probably very few people of colour。 The ways that racism and white supremacy permeate and taint almost every aspect of society， even that in 2022， are on full display and impossible to ignore once the book reaches its end。 I'd love to see t This book is one that I slowly savoured rather than devoured， reading one chapter every day or so just to let it fully sink in。 The time and research put into this book are clear from the first couple of pages， and the content will shock many white people but probably very few people of colour。 The ways that racism and white supremacy permeate and taint almost every aspect of society， even that in 2022， are on full display and impossible to ignore once the book reaches its end。 I'd love to see this on required reading lists for high schools or universities， especially in this age of anti-CRT moral panic。 It's the easiest five stars I've ever given a book， without question。 。。。more
Livia
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I thought I'd already marked it finished a couple of days ago。 Oops！SPOILER FREE REVIEWFormat Read: Unabridged Audiobook courtesy of LAPL Overdrive library loanNarrated by: Heather McGheeLength: 11 hrs and 8 minsRelease date: 02-16-21Publisher: Random House AudioCover Image: The cover image is explained during the course of Heather McGhee's investigative look at why some cities preferred to shut down their public pools rather than integrate them in the 60s。 This was one of many sad but fascinati I thought I'd already marked it finished a couple of days ago。 Oops！SPOILER FREE REVIEWFormat Read: Unabridged Audiobook courtesy of LAPL Overdrive library loanNarrated by: Heather McGheeLength: 11 hrs and 8 minsRelease date: 02-16-21Publisher: Random House AudioCover Image: The cover image is explained during the course of Heather McGhee's investigative look at why some cities preferred to shut down their public pools rather than integrate them in the 60s。 This was one of many sad but fascinating issues examined in this book。Ratings:Overall // Story // Performance - all 5 impressive stars！Personally， I think it should be part of the reading curriculum at every secondary school in the US right now。 Actually， this book was so excellent， enlightening and inspirational that EVERYONE should put it on their MUST READ list， and then read it as soon as possible。And the author narrated her own book and did a fantastic job。 I've read a nonfiction book before that the author narrated， and she was so terrible at it that I struggled to finish it。 What a relief Heather McGhee could have a secondary gig as an audiobook narrator。2 Big Thumbs way up！！ 。。。more
Julia
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This is a really powerful book。 I took a long time to read it--it's quite dense， but also so well written。 McGhee does so much good storytelling around the people she interviews that really really illuminates the finer points of the insidious， zero-sum policies our racial hierarchy creates。 This book has really changed the way I think and understand our urgent task of aiming for that "solidarity dividend。" This is a really powerful book。 I took a long time to read it--it's quite dense， but also so well written。 McGhee does so much good storytelling around the people she interviews that really really illuminates the finer points of the insidious， zero-sum policies our racial hierarchy creates。 This book has really changed the way I think and understand our urgent task of aiming for that "solidarity dividend。" 。。。more
Lois
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Have you been listening and paying attention， have you been trying to ferret out the truth about not only our American heritage， but our responsibilities for a just governance going forward？ OMG I hated reading this， but forced myself。 I have been paying attention enough so that I found no real surprises within the covers of "The Sum of Us"。 Thing is， McGhee fleshed it out fully; catalogued and footnoted with factual references the systemic atrocities being committed （and having been committed） Have you been listening and paying attention， have you been trying to ferret out the truth about not only our American heritage， but our responsibilities for a just governance going forward？ OMG I hated reading this， but forced myself。 I have been paying attention enough so that I found no real surprises within the covers of "The Sum of Us"。 Thing is， McGhee fleshed it out fully; catalogued and footnoted with factual references the systemic atrocities being committed （and having been committed） in the name of 'We the People' by the run away Right。 It's much more a reference book than a cozy fireside read。 It's a call to action for those who created the trauma of systemic racism and must now fix it。 Here's a couple items that stuck out for me。 * chapter on "The Hidden Wound" or how we Whites engage in 'color blindness' to "engage in fierce protection of （our） self image as （persons） who have earned everything they have received。" McGhee shows how White fear is manipulated by media and politics to change White allegiances， voting and economic behavior as: hue and cry for "law and order" after George Floyd/Black Lives Matter protests， increase in gun sales after Obama election。 In my view， all these machinations past and present leave us a morally bankrupt race。 （Dear Reader， I was born a WASP） *chapter on "The Solidarity Dividend" which encouragingly shows what can be done。 This includes things like embracing immigration for the economy booster that it is， admitting that the Constitution DID encode a hierarchy of human value and working to challenge this tenant。 McGhee informs about the "Truth， Racial Healing and Transformation" Program。 This is basically an in-service training program for communities who are ready to grapple with racisms costs on the ground。 * The 5 Discoveries about how we can prosper together REJECT THE ZERO-SUM ECONOMIC MODEL and aim for the solidarity dividend REBUILD THE MIDDLE CLASS with generous public benefits BE CREATIVE AND SPECIFIC in designing solutions- one size does not fit all ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE NEED EACH OTHER ENGAGE IN TRUTH TELLINGI would recommend "The Sum of Us" highly as an important reference for some of YOU in your important work。 。。。more
John Whaley
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