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The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

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  • Create Date：2021-05-24 11:52:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Heather McGhee
  • ISBN：1788169646
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Summary

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Soon to be adapted by Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground podcast

'With intelligence and care （as well as with a trove of sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes heart-opening true stories） Heather McGhee shows us what racism has cost all of us' - Elizabeth Gilbert

What would make a society drain its public swimming baths and fill them with concrete rather than opening them to everyone？ Economics researcher Heather McGhee sets out across America to learn why white voters so often act against their own interests。 Why do they block changes that would help them， and even destroy their own advantages， whenever people of colour also stand to benefit？

Their tragedy is that they believe they can't win unless somebody else loses。 But this is a lie。 McGhee marshals overwhelming economic evidence， and a profound well of empathy， to reveal the surprising truth: even racists lose out under white supremacy。

And US racism is everybody's problem。 As McGhee shows， it was bigoted lending policies that laid the ground for the 2008 financial crisis。 There can be little prospect of tackling global climate change until America's zero-sum delusions are defeated。 The Sum of Us offers a priceless insight into the workings of prejudice， and a timely invitation to solidarity among all humans， 'to piece together a new story of who we could be to one another'。

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Reviews

Valerie ，

This was a difficult book to read。 Not because it isn’t well written but because of the subject。 It verified what I already thought。 And verified why I wasn’t able to get a mortgage。 Even though I already had owned and sold 7 other homes and never had been late on a payment – actually paid ahead。 I had 2 jobs， and good credit but the lender would not give me a mortgage。 When I complained it fell on death ears， now I know why。 Very frustrating。RECOMMENDATION: MAYBE （IF YOU DON’T WANT TO GET ANGRY This was a difficult book to read。 Not because it isn’t well written but because of the subject。 It verified what I already thought。 And verified why I wasn’t able to get a mortgage。 Even though I already had owned and sold 7 other homes and never had been late on a payment – actually paid ahead。 I had 2 jobs， and good credit but the lender would not give me a mortgage。 When I complained it fell on death ears， now I know why。 Very frustrating。RECOMMENDATION: MAYBE （IF YOU DON’T WANT TO GET ANGRY DON’T READ） 。。。more

Lisa ，

An excellent sociological examination at what racism has cost us as individuals， as communities， and as a society。 Had I not been listening to the audiobook， I would have been endlessly adding highlights and notes and my copy would be ridiculously annotated。 Racism is the root cause， or very nearly so， and has an adverse effect on all of our problems: the economy， our democracy， voting rights， medical disparities， safety nets， public benefits， and public spaces。 Then there is the Solidarity Divi An excellent sociological examination at what racism has cost us as individuals， as communities， and as a society。 Had I not been listening to the audiobook， I would have been endlessly adding highlights and notes and my copy would be ridiculously annotated。 Racism is the root cause， or very nearly so， and has an adverse effect on all of our problems: the economy， our democracy， voting rights， medical disparities， safety nets， public benefits， and public spaces。 Then there is the Solidarity Dividend: how things get better for everyone when we work together to beat back racism。 Fascinating stuff that fairly screams in its truism。 Life wasn’t meant to be a zero sum equation。 The author is personable and easy to listen to， and she perfectly explains complex concepts without condescendingly dumbing it down。 I also heard her interview on Pod Save America， and she seems just as lovely， intelligent， and funny when not following her own written thoughts and speaking off the cuff。 Looking forward to her next work。 Four plus stars。 。。。more

Poncho's Pages ，

BOOK REVIEW: READ THIS BOOK。 Everything about this book is astonishing， brilliant， and well-researched。 The detail McGhee put in her work is apparent in every word and the detailed statistics blew my mind and opened my eyes to SO much about the multiple systems in our country that have their beginnings in racist ideologies。 I learned soooooo much from reading this book and it's one of those books that you learn something new from every time you read it。 BOOK REVIEW: READ THIS BOOK。 Everything about this book is astonishing， brilliant， and well-researched。 The detail McGhee put in her work is apparent in every word and the detailed statistics blew my mind and opened my eyes to SO much about the multiple systems in our country that have their beginnings in racist ideologies。 I learned soooooo much from reading this book and it's one of those books that you learn something new from every time you read it。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

The answer to "why can't we have nice things？" Racism， and how it is used by a small number of wealthy people to prevent middle and working class people of all races from working together to create a better economy， improved public services， and access to education， housing， and fair working conditions。 McGhee's analysis and writing style is accessible to everyone， not just those who have studied economics or public policy。 Strongly reccomend！ The answer to "why can't we have nice things？" Racism， and how it is used by a small number of wealthy people to prevent middle and working class people of all races from working together to create a better economy， improved public services， and access to education， housing， and fair working conditions。 McGhee's analysis and writing style is accessible to everyone， not just those who have studied economics or public policy。 Strongly reccomend！ 。。。more

Angela Juline ，

"In a hierarchical system like the American economy， people often show more concern about their relative position in the hierarchy than their absolute status。" （125） And I find this to be incredibly sad -American wills forgo policies that benefit all if it means that others below them rise up to their level。McGhee's book has much more to offer - I simply can't do it justice by summarizing what she thoroughly explores - but it comes down to this: we have to abandon this zero-sum idea （and in my v "In a hierarchical system like the American economy， people often show more concern about their relative position in the hierarchy than their absolute status。" （125） And I find this to be incredibly sad -American wills forgo policies that benefit all if it means that others below them rise up to their level。McGhee's book has much more to offer - I simply can't do it justice by summarizing what she thoroughly explores - but it comes down to this: we have to abandon this zero-sum idea （and in my view， not so much because we often hurt ourselves in the process， but more so， because it is the morally right thing to do） 。。。more

Jonathan ，

While reviewing much of the material on systemic racism， McGhee’s lens shows us just how much a racist society brings us all down。 Her analysis is sharp and her recommendations are inspiring。 A blueprint for building a better America。 A must-read。

Erin I ，

This book is phenomenal。 I challenge all of my goodreads friends to read it。 Once McGhee makes you aware of the myriad corporate and legislative decisions that have facilitated America's current racial landscape， it becomes glaringly obvious why things are the way they are and how we are all hurt by it。 Racism is quite literally why we can't have nice things。 This book is phenomenal。 I challenge all of my goodreads friends to read it。 Once McGhee makes you aware of the myriad corporate and legislative decisions that have facilitated America's current racial landscape， it becomes glaringly obvious why things are the way they are and how we are all hurt by it。 Racism is quite literally why we can't have nice things。 。。。more

Kalulah ，

[I'm writing this review as the news cycle is saturated with content about Critical Race Theory; the process of examining how racism has shaped the legal system， among other systems， in the United States。 As legislators in several states write and pass bills attacking the concept in all but name， I strongly suggest anyone concerned about the topic to purchase this book and give it a read or listen。] "Wealth is history that shows up in your wallet，" Heather McGhee writes in The Sum of Us: What Ra [I'm writing this review as the news cycle is saturated with content about Critical Race Theory; the process of examining how racism has shaped the legal system， among other systems， in the United States。 As legislators in several states write and pass bills attacking the concept in all but name， I strongly suggest anyone concerned about the topic to purchase this book and give it a read or listen。] "Wealth is history that shows up in your wallet，" Heather McGhee writes in The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together。 This book shows us how the economics of racism pollutes nearly every facet of American society。 McGhee takes us through the history of slavery and de-facto segregation and how they infect today's most pressing issues like low wages， affordable housing， and education。 She isn't the first author by far to tie these issues together， but her unique perspective is one that is at times， extraordinarily hopeful and motivating。 She examines not just how racism has affected people of color， but how negatively racism affects the white Americans， both psychologically and economically， that it has been said to benefit for so long。 At a time where right-wing populism rooted in the scapegoating of people of color is surging again， and on the other side， where white people are increasingly being expected to acknowledge their white privilege， Heather McGhee reminds us of what we can gain if we value diversity and what all we lose when we don't。 Children in more diverse schools tend to become better critical thinkers and problem solvers。 Labor unions that unite workers of all races tend to have more success in their demands for better working conditions and higher wages。 McGhee provides us with a cost-benefit analysis of racism。 Diversity is economically viable， but the zero-sum message continues to pull everyone down。 The main aspect of her argument is that public goods and government programs that are so popular among ordinary people of any race， have been slashed each time people of color gain more civil rights。 This history of "draining the pool，" which McGhee so often comes back to， is the crux of the zero-sum story that permeates the American conservative movement。 McGhee argues that racism continues to divide us because of pundits， presidents， and business tycoons; those in power who perpetuate a cycle of inequality for their own benefit。 Her call to action is incredibly moving。 Racial solidarity is not only the morally correct thing to do， but it makes good， economic sense。 Heather McGhee has put her finger on the pulse of an undercurrent of potential unification in a divided country。 Not only is The Sum of Us incredibly well-written and narrated （by McGhee herself）， but it is also exactly what we need right now。 。。。more

Mary ，

WOW。 This is a must-read for pretty much anybody。McGhee elegantly and convincingly lays bare the racist institutions and policies that have brought us to the point where we are today， but she does it in a way that is clear， accessible， well researched， and compelling。 It's eye-opening， informed by her decades of policy research and advocacy。This is the ONE book I've read so far where I feel like I could give this to people who deny the existence of systemic racism and white privilege， and I migh WOW。 This is a must-read for pretty much anybody。McGhee elegantly and convincingly lays bare the racist institutions and policies that have brought us to the point where we are today， but she does it in a way that is clear， accessible， well researched， and compelling。 It's eye-opening， informed by her decades of policy research and advocacy。This is the ONE book I've read so far where I feel like I could give this to people who deny the existence of systemic racism and white privilege， and I might be able to get somewhere with them。 It's that powerful。Read this book！ 。。。more

Kaleigh ，

If you enjoyed Angela Glover Blackwell’s The Curb Cut Effect。。。

Mary Quigley ，

Wow。 I’m convinced that this book needs to become required reading for absolutely everyone， both adults and kids still in school。 There is so much about the history of our country and our government systems that we’re not being taught。 Racism is such a disease。Thank you， Heather McGhee， for writing this book。 It has undoubtedly impacted my life， and I am truly grateful。

Mark ，

Read for the 2021 PopSugar reading challenge。 This is "A book about a social justice issue。" I do this thing where I don't follow any political-related accounts on Twitter， so it's not just in my timeline by default when it exhausts me， but on days where I'm not exhausted I manually check out a few folks to see what they're saying。 A couple of months ago， that was the sort of people reading early copies of this book， so I decided to check it out。A lot of hay is made in the right-wing media world Read for the 2021 PopSugar reading challenge。 This is "A book about a social justice issue。" I do this thing where I don't follow any political-related accounts on Twitter， so it's not just in my timeline by default when it exhausts me， but on days where I'm not exhausted I manually check out a few folks to see what they're saying。 A couple of months ago， that was the sort of people reading early copies of this book， so I decided to check it out。A lot of hay is made in the right-wing media world about the demands of the so-called "woke，" with breathless stories that seem to be exaggerated if not outright fabricated about this or that niche topic from some college or another。 The spinning up of nonsense extends frequently to ideas like "cancel culture" and "critical race theory" and whatever else they decide will get through to the type of person who's primed to believe that the actual winner of the 2020 US presidential election was not Joe Biden。I mention this because while it is all blown out of proportion in terms of who fits this label and how many of them are out there， I've run in enough left- or notionally left-adjacent spaces in my time as an adult - College Democrats， Democratic-oriented forums/blogs during the GWB administration， and a decent number of periodic Twitter check-ins today - to know that you do sometimes run into a person whose zeal for whatever cause requires dogmatic adherence to a particular vocabulary， demands of acknowledgement of privilege， and other things like this。My basic perspective is that whatever social justice， economic justice， environmental justice is out there is going to require a political solution。 I guess I've held that one since I started college and the Green Party people sounded like dipshits and it seemed like Democrats were the ones who would have to get things done if things were ever going to get better。 In those 20 years， I have not stopped believing this， although being a Democrat with a certain passing familiarity with "the inside" I have to tell you that was a depressing place to be in post-9/11 America and it is only marginally less so today。What that has to do with the "wokeness" and subsequently the subject of this book is this: The hundreds of thousands of people across the electorally-significant swing states who might veer between one party or the other across presidential elections， who might show up or not in midterm elections， are not ever going to have any interest in talking about their own white privilege， and if you could get them to acknowledge it they would not agree with very many policy choices that they might perceive as resulting in their giving it up。 （I have not read White Fragility， but from seeing discussion of that book I feel the same basic thing applies with that concept as well。 Though I interpret a different perspective from The Sum of Us， it does not set itself in tension with Robin DiAngelo's work from a few years ago; McGhee cites friendly conversations she's had with DiAngelo several times in her own book。） I don't mean to say that principles must be compromised or abandoned to engage with this sort of person。 It's just going to take a more flexible message to get them to feel like they are getting something， instead of losing something in the zero-sum view。 And I hope that out there are enough skilled Democratic politicians or soon-to-be Democratic electeds who can run with the message of this book to forge a coalition that is in line with the final words of the Pledge of Allegiance， "。。。with liberty and justice for all。" And other rah-rah America things that appeal to people's better natures rather than their worst selves。 The Statue of Liberty's "Give us your tired， your poor" poem， also， and of course， from the Declaration itself， "We hold these truths to be self-evident， that all men are created equal。。。" （Hamilton lyric aside， I don't think we need a sequel to include women in that ideal， just an understanding that the original included women all along， even if Thomas Jefferson or any number of the signers didn't think so。）The point of view that McGhee's book brings is that it is the right-wing zero-sum conception of race in America that has cost this country， including the white people， a lot over the decades。 She prefers to focus on what she calls the Solidarity Dividend， where everyone does better when everyone does better， and gains for Black people or Latinos or other minority groups do not have to come at the expense of white people。 She lays out the cost that racism has wracked on public goods， going back to the days of when resort-sized public pools were the norm in the South 。。。 as long as they were exclusively used by white people。 There were places that drained their pools rather than integrate them， and the result is that where previously white people could freely access a pool， they then had to go and either get their own pool or join a private club with dues and fees。 It is a similar story with public schools， she says， as even well-off white people suffer the loss of the public good of schools by having to move to prohibitively expensive neighborhoods just to go to the "good schools" - or sink tens of thousands of dollars into private school tuition。 But more than just that， she goes back to the landmark Brown v。 Board of Education Supreme Court decision to talk about the research that the Court and subsequent jurisprudence did not acknowledge: That white children were hurt by segregation， too， by being denied of the opportunity to be around people with different perspectives。 She cites some more modern social science research that had some interesting studies on whether all-white groups or mixed-race groups were better at solving certain problems and the finding was that the all-white groups， seeing people who looked like them， assumed those people had the same information， whereas the groups that had people who were not white mixed in were able to share the different perspectives quicker。 They saw someone who looked different and assumed that those people knew something different。 Which， in the study， was true。Or even with the Great Recession， as McGhee goes into depth about how the subprime crisis was unfairly blamed on loans that "shouldn't have been given" to minority owners rather than the actual story that these big banks frequently targeted Black or Latino homeowners who had equity in their homes and tricked them into bad refinancing loans。 If the white world had been aware of or cared about this problem in the mid-2000s， perhaps things would have gone differently - but they didn't， and the result of ignoring that "canary in the coal mine" is that a lot of white people lost jobs and had their lives permanently set back as well。I would have liked this more if there was some orientation towards the large-scale solution of the problem rather than here and there on the margins - but that's nothing against McGhee。 She wrote a book that meant something to her and it resonated with me。 It was also kind of disheartening， though， to read about all the Somalian refugees who ended up in the half-abandoned former mill town of Lewiston， Maine， forged a thriving community， and still were surrounded by so many racists that they could not even manage to elect a mayor who was not hostile to those same refugees in the two most recent elections。 Then again， if this was a problem that could be easily solved， it would be closer to being solved by now。 And maybe eventually enough of the individual stories highlighted by McGhee will pile up in enough places that the dam will break。 Until then， I tensely eye all of the Republican voter suppression initiatives in key states for the 2022 and 2024 elections and send a prayer up high hoping for the best。 。。。more

Lori Puma ，

Thesis: the root cause reason the US under-invests in things you'd think a wealthy nation nation would over-invest in （education， healthcare， affordable housing） is racism。McGhee makes a compelling argument and it makes a lot of the anti-government sentiment in the US make a lot more sense。 Thesis: the root cause reason the US under-invests in things you'd think a wealthy nation nation would over-invest in （education， healthcare， affordable housing） is racism。McGhee makes a compelling argument and it makes a lot of the anti-government sentiment in the US make a lot more sense。 。。。more

Shay ，

All I wish for is that every single American read this book。Heather McGhee eloquently explains how systematic racism has flooded the white American view， and why the American dream of justice， equality， and freedom will only be achievable with a better understanding of black culture and open discussions of the zero sum narrative。 Racism is deeply imbedded in this nation and Heather breaks it down so we the people can grow and become the thriving American we all deserve。

Becky ，

I highly recommend this book。 The author puts together a number of topics and explains， very clearly， how connected we are to each other。 We will not rise until we all rise。 A must-read。

Denise ，

Such an important book about how racism has hurt all of us in so many facets of our society。 Her "drained pool" analogy is woven throughout （she explains how many beautiful， New Deal-era but whites-only public pools and parks， when compelled to admit people of color， instead drained and covered them over， so no one got to enjoy them） and is highly instructive。 Racism drains the pool for everyone， making our society poorer in every way。 As depressing as that sounds， she's hopeful and the book is Such an important book about how racism has hurt all of us in so many facets of our society。 Her "drained pool" analogy is woven throughout （she explains how many beautiful， New Deal-era but whites-only public pools and parks， when compelled to admit people of color， instead drained and covered them over， so no one got to enjoy them） and is highly instructive。 Racism drains the pool for everyone， making our society poorer in every way。 As depressing as that sounds， she's hopeful and the book is highly readable （she's a great storyteller）。 One simple thought -- that as a country we've ignored and tamped down what is in fact our greatest strength， our diversity -- will stay with me for a long time。 。。。more

Gladys Schrynemakers ，

This book changed my thinking about race in American。 What was really powerful for me was the connection of she made between economics and racism。 Equally important was her thinking and how we could create a path to address both economic equity and racism。 Can't finish this review without saying the book was comprehensive and made readable by Heather McGhee's wonderful narrative style。 This book changed my thinking about race in American。 What was really powerful for me was the connection of she made between economics and racism。 Equally important was her thinking and how we could create a path to address both economic equity and racism。 Can't finish this review without saying the book was comprehensive and made readable by Heather McGhee's wonderful narrative style。 。。。more

Lynn ，

This is one of the best books I have read about racism in America！

Patrice ，

Every American should be required to read this book。 Especially if you are one of those people who believe everyone has the same choice and opportunity to "make it" in America， as long as they just work hard。 It is academic， so not necessarily an easy read， but the economic and sociological research is astounding and enlightening。 It makes it absolutely clear how racism costs EVERYONE， not just the races that are segregated and discriminated against。 McGhee also offers solutions and hope that fo Every American should be required to read this book。 Especially if you are one of those people who believe everyone has the same choice and opportunity to "make it" in America， as long as they just work hard。 It is academic， so not necessarily an easy read， but the economic and sociological research is astounding and enlightening。 It makes it absolutely clear how racism costs EVERYONE， not just the races that are segregated and discriminated against。 McGhee also offers solutions and hope that for the "Solidarity Divide" that comes when multi-racial coalitions come together to get better policy and solutions for everyone。 A MUST READ！ 。。。more

Valerie Nelson ，

Even if you think you know everything there is to know about racism in America， even if you're as woke as woke can be， read this book。 Even if you think you know everything there is to know about racism in America， even if you're as woke as woke can be， read this book。 。。。more

Jennifer Boettcher ，

Compelling， well-researched though easily readable due to personal stories and narratives to bring the data to life。

Catherine ，

Addresses economic bias against people of color。 There was nothing in this book I didn’t already know， but seeing it all laid out through the entire history of the US was staggering。 A little dry at times， but overall very readable。

Klem-Marí ，

Why can't we have nice things？ Or a functioning economy？ Because we are wed to our systems of racialized hierarchy。 If we dared imagine new ways of being， there would be solidarity dividends for all of us。 This is necessary reading。 Why can't we have nice things？ Or a functioning economy？ Because we are wed to our systems of racialized hierarchy。 If we dared imagine new ways of being， there would be solidarity dividends for all of us。 This is necessary reading。 。。。more

Laura ，

Absolute must read。

Courtney ，

Must read。

Keith Grace ，

This masterpiece falls in the category of books the ruling class in the U。S。 do not want you to read because they know every word Heather McGhee is correct。 And with complete disrespect and disdain for us， no matter our own identities - used by the ruling class to divide us - they are hoping we do not all also realize how correct The Sum of Us clearly is。 Read this book， because this is the book the white supremacist ruling class is so afraid you will。

Alexis Newkirk ，

This is a great read for anyone looking to educate themselves on racism and it’s history and connections to the American economy。 It dove into a lot of different topics， sometimes jumping from one topic to something seemingly unrelated， but it still did a good job of linking everything together。 I liked all of the interviews with community leaders and average Americans in conjunction with educators and other leadership。The only thing I would’ve liked is to have footnotes at the end of each chapt This is a great read for anyone looking to educate themselves on racism and it’s history and connections to the American economy。 It dove into a lot of different topics， sometimes jumping from one topic to something seemingly unrelated， but it still did a good job of linking everything together。 I liked all of the interviews with community leaders and average Americans in conjunction with educators and other leadership。The only thing I would’ve liked is to have footnotes at the end of each chapter instead of the bibliography at the end of the book。 It would’ve made it easier to follow along with all the statistics mentioned and their sources， as well as the extra notes she included on some of them。 。。。more

Antonius Ishak ，

Great read on how racism can effect all of society policy-wise not just the targeted group。 It looks at a variety of policies and how white people also suffer when racism is inflicted on PoC。 Enlightening in a non-partisan manner。

Jamil ，

Going to be buying the hardback of this one。 Phenomenal work that tackles the pervasive 'zero-sum' mentality and shows， with plenty of receipts， how wrongheaded it all is。 Highly highly recommend this one。 Going to be buying the hardback of this one。 Phenomenal work that tackles the pervasive 'zero-sum' mentality and shows， with plenty of receipts， how wrongheaded it all is。 Highly highly recommend this one。 。。。more

Janice ，

I learned so much even though I lived through segregation in the South。 I thought we had gotten so much better。 I laughed when I heard Trump was running。 I thought that would never get anywhere。 Then it seemed like all the cockroaches slinked in through the cracks。 I now know they were there all along。 People need to check their consciences。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0