Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
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- Create Date：2021-10-04 09:51:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Isabel Wilkerson
- ISBN：0141995467
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Summary
'The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality。 It is about power - which groups have it and which do not'
Beyond race or class， our lives are defined by a powerful， unspoken system of divisions。 In Caste， Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson gives an astounding portrait of this hidden phenomenon。 Linking America， India and Nazi Germany， Wilkerson reveals how our world has been shaped by caste - and how its rigid， arbitrary hierarchies still divide us today。
With clear-sighted rigour， Wilkerson unearths the eight pillars that connect caste systems across civilizations， and demonstrates how our own era of intensifying conflict and upheaval has arisen as a consequence of caste。 Weaving in stories of real people， she shows how its insidious undertow emerges every day; she documents its surprising health costs; and she explores its effects on culture and politics。 Finally， Wilkerson points forward to the ways we can - and must - move beyond its artificial divisions， towards our common humanity。
Beautifully written and deeply original， Caste is an eye-opening examination of what lies beneath the surface of ordinary lives。 No one can afford to ignore the moral clarity of its insights， or its urgent call for a freer， fairer world。
Beyond race or class， our lives are defined by a powerful， unspoken system of divisions。 In Caste， Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson gives an astounding portrait of this hidden phenomenon。 Linking America， India and Nazi Germany， Wilkerson reveals how our world has been shaped by caste - and how its rigid， arbitrary hierarchies still divide us today。
With clear-sighted rigour， Wilkerson unearths the eight pillars that connect caste systems across civilizations， and demonstrates how our own era of intensifying conflict and upheaval has arisen as a consequence of caste。 Weaving in stories of real people， she shows how its insidious undertow emerges every day; she documents its surprising health costs; and she explores its effects on culture and politics。 Finally， Wilkerson points forward to the ways we can - and must - move beyond its artificial divisions， towards our common humanity。
Beautifully written and deeply original， Caste is an eye-opening examination of what lies beneath the surface of ordinary lives。 No one can afford to ignore the moral clarity of its insights， or its urgent call for a freer， fairer world。
Reviews
Arlene
，
Again a difficult read but very enlightening！ Amazing comparison between The US and The rise of Nazism。 Made one pause and think of how the caste system exists between white Americans and African Americans。
Wade Hinson
，
I really wanted this to be a good book。
Rita
，
2020Wilkerson argues convincingly that we must see that we in the US have a CASTE system。 Many similarities to the caste system in India， and to German society under Hitler， where you are assigned at birth to a high caste or a low caste [or something in between] and all in the society are brainwashed to believe that those in the higher caste DESERVE the greater power and privileges they have。 And that those in the lowest caste DESERVE to be viewed as untouchables and to have little power and no 2020Wilkerson argues convincingly that we must see that we in the US have a CASTE system。 Many similarities to the caste system in India， and to German society under Hitler， where you are assigned at birth to a high caste or a low caste [or something in between] and all in the society are brainwashed to believe that those in the higher caste DESERVE the greater power and privileges they have。 And that those in the lowest caste DESERVE to be viewed as untouchables and to have little power and no privileges。 Read the book to change your lens on how you view color and race in the US。 Most of our bias and stereotypes are subconscious， we are not even aware of them。 Which makes them all the more insidious and damaging。Wilkerson includes quite a lot of personal experiences/anecdotes to illustrate her points。 I think these are valuable。 You can't dismiss them。'Class' versus 'caste': 106 "Class is a measure of one's standing in a society， marked by education， income， occupation， accent， taste， manners， socio-economic status。 These can be acquired through hard work and ingenuity。。。。If you can act your way out of it， then it is class， not caste。'On commentators who claim that trmp/rightwing voters are voting against their own interests: 325 "Many voters assessed their circumstances and looked beyond short-term benefits and toward the larger goals of maintaining dominant-caste status。 They were willing to lose health insurance now， risk White House instability and government shutdowns， in order to preserve what their actions say they value most---the benefits they had grown accustomed to as members of the ruling caste in America。""Many whites also possess a sense of racial identity and are motivated to protect their group's collective interests and to maintain its status。" [Ashley Jardina]326 "The stigma and double standard attached to disfavored minorities have accrued to the Democrats， while the privilege and latitude accorded the dominant caste has accrued to the Republicans， who have come to be seen as proxies for white America。"330 "Over the course of the 20c the evangelical coalition entwined theology， whiteness and conservative politics。。。。To identify as evangelical in the early 21c signals commitments to gun rights， abolition of legal abortion ， and low taxes。。。People identifying as white evangelicals， regardless of their personal religiosity， rallied around trump to defend a white Protestant nation。 They have proven to be loyal foot soldiers in the battle against undocumented immigrants and Muslims。。。。" [Seth Dowland]354 "A caste system builds rivalry and distrust and lack of empathy toward one's fellows。 The result is that the US， for all its wealth and innovation， lags in major indicators of quality of life among leading countries in the world。" 。。。more
Lisa Rossi
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I am committed to finishing， but this is the heaviest book I've worked to read。。heavier even than her debut， The Warmth of Other Suns。 Wilkerson's intent is to tell the historical and contemporary story of how enmeshed racism is in the United States。 What you thought you knew about slavery that has been discussed in novels， and in popular movies （Ten Years a Slave， Roots， varying versions of The Underground Railroad） haven't touched on the depravity。 The reality of the particularly Southern view I am committed to finishing， but this is the heaviest book I've worked to read。。heavier even than her debut， The Warmth of Other Suns。 Wilkerson's intent is to tell the historical and contemporary story of how enmeshed racism is in the United States。 What you thought you knew about slavery that has been discussed in novels， and in popular movies （Ten Years a Slave， Roots， varying versions of The Underground Railroad） haven't touched on the depravity。 The reality of the particularly Southern view of black people is tough to take， and the conversation we had among a nice group of （albeit progressive） white ladies was uncomfortable and inadequate， and we knew it。 Awareness and change happen in the uncomfortable， and Isabel Wilkerson lays it out。 I have the utmost respect for her and I love and am haunted by this book。 。。。more
Aditya
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An eye-opening and systematic analysis of how the sociological and psychological concept of caste sustains itself and propagates in society。 With a focus on the US， India and Germany， the common properties of a caste system are explained with numerous real-life examples of the unfairness， arbitrariness， and the real loss of human potential due to the existence of these systems。 The epilogue in particular was a great read where the author paints a picture of a world without caste。 A highly recomm An eye-opening and systematic analysis of how the sociological and psychological concept of caste sustains itself and propagates in society。 With a focus on the US， India and Germany， the common properties of a caste system are explained with numerous real-life examples of the unfairness， arbitrariness， and the real loss of human potential due to the existence of these systems。 The epilogue in particular was a great read where the author paints a picture of a world without caste。 A highly recommended read！ 。。。more
Megan Hobart
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For the majority of the book I listened to the audio version， but I did have access to a paper copy and read small portions。 In those portions I noticed two significant editing issues that need to be corrected for future editions。 The first is that ‘Black’ should be capitalized when referring to Black people。 It’s well understood at this current point so it really surprised me to see that it was published without this standard （AP News released this in mid 2020 and discusses this: https://apnews For the majority of the book I listened to the audio version， but I did have access to a paper copy and read small portions。 In those portions I noticed two significant editing issues that need to be corrected for future editions。 The first is that ‘Black’ should be capitalized when referring to Black people。 It’s well understood at this current point so it really surprised me to see that it was published without this standard （AP News released this in mid 2020 and discusses this: https://apnews。com/article/entertainm。。。）。 The next correction is that what occurred in Tulsa in 1921 is referred to， more appropriately now， as the Tulsa Race Massacre， not ‘riot’。 This was also well known by the time this book was published so the correction should have been made。Otherwise， a spectacular conglomeration of research and personal stories that should be required reading for all Heads of State who are fighting against the teaching of CRT and used classrooms if we have any hope of overcoming America’s obsession with a false narrative that is egocentric and delusional and just prevents us from achieving the ideals of which we claim to value。 。。。more
Jill
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This is a heavy book， so it took me a while to get through it， reading in chunks。 I learned some things I did not know before， and finally made the connection between lynching and some aspects of structural racism that hadn't occurred to me。 In other respects it is easy to read - Wilkerson writes for the common audience so there's not a lot of jargon and flows well。 I do think you have to be on board with "racism is real" before picking this up - it's not a 101 level text， but maybe I'm wrong。 This is a heavy book， so it took me a while to get through it， reading in chunks。 I learned some things I did not know before， and finally made the connection between lynching and some aspects of structural racism that hadn't occurred to me。 In other respects it is easy to read - Wilkerson writes for the common audience so there's not a lot of jargon and flows well。 I do think you have to be on board with "racism is real" before picking this up - it's not a 101 level text， but maybe I'm wrong。 。。。more
Linda
，
A powerful overview of caste in the US and India， with a little Nazi history for good measure。 In the epilogue， the author states: “The goal of this work has not been to resolve all of the problems of a millenia-old phenomenon， but to cast a light onto its history， its consequences， and its presence on our everyday lives and to express hope for its resolution。” I sure wish she had said this at the beginning of the book， although i am glad i read this for my bookclub because I don’t think i would A powerful overview of caste in the US and India， with a little Nazi history for good measure。 In the epilogue， the author states: “The goal of this work has not been to resolve all of the problems of a millenia-old phenomenon， but to cast a light onto its history， its consequences， and its presence on our everyday lives and to express hope for its resolution。” I sure wish she had said this at the beginning of the book， although i am glad i read this for my bookclub because I don’t think i would have had the fortitude to finish on my own。 Ms。 Wilkerson uses personal anecdotes as well as examples from history to illustrate the consequences and prevalence of caste in our every day lives。 She works to distinguish caste from racism， and explain how all of us live within the bounds of caste， consciously or subconsciously。 “Any action or institution that mocks， harms， assumes， or attaches inferiority or stereotype on the basis of the social construct of race can be considered racism。 Any action or structure that seeks to limit， hold back， or put someone in a defined ranking， seeks to keep someone in their place by evaluating or denigrating that person on the basis of their perceived category， can be seen as casteism。” She also uses excellent extended metaphors to illustrate her points。 However， it is this mix of personal and historic， scholarly research and extended narrative， that wore on me， and almost caused me to stop reading the book。 I agree with Ms。 Wilkerson that we humans ate less likely to revert to casteism （or racism， for that matter） when we take the time to actually see each person we interact with as more like us than different。 We are all somebody’s sister or brother， with a Mom or Dad。 We all want to be permitted to live our lives the best we can， wanting to be happy and loved。 Let’s hope we do evolve as humans to that better world， and sooner rather than later。 。。。more
Wendy Picardo
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Well researched， easily readable， eye opening account of the alphas and omegas throughout the world especially those in the United States
Jeremy
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This book examines the everyday lives of subordinate ‘castes’ in the United States， particularly African-Americans and the parallels between their lived experience and the lives of Dalits （Untouchables） of India and Jews in Nazi Germany。 Isabel Wilkerson’s thesis is that there is equivalence in the three groups as they are each the oppressed ‘caste’ within their society。 While I agree that there are parallels between the terrible and in some cases genocidal experiences of each of these oppressed This book examines the everyday lives of subordinate ‘castes’ in the United States， particularly African-Americans and the parallels between their lived experience and the lives of Dalits （Untouchables） of India and Jews in Nazi Germany。 Isabel Wilkerson’s thesis is that there is equivalence in the three groups as they are each the oppressed ‘caste’ within their society。 While I agree that there are parallels between the terrible and in some cases genocidal experiences of each of these oppressed groups， the roots and origins of hatred towards the three oppressed groups are very different – I do not see any benefit in re-defining the oppression of African-Americans other than by the name by which it usually known - racism。Nevertheless， it is a brilliant book full of anger and empathy， that explores the range of current and historic caste （or race）-based oppression from microaggressions to Jim Crow laws， lynching and genocide。 It's beautifully written and Wilkerson interweaves her own experiences of everyday disrespect with many larger oppressions。 While the overall tone of the book is pessimistic， a final chapter has a hopeful moment of shared humanity between members of the subordinate and dominant ‘castes’。It is such a wonderful book – I’m very much looking forward to reading Wilkerson’s first book， The Warmth of Other Suns。 。。。more
Diane
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Stunning & enlightening
Vivian
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5+++ stars！ I was so ready to delve into this book。 As a walking talking privileged female， I was ready。 As an abolitionist in constant training， I was excited！ Reading， watching， learning all I can about what my BIPOC brethren experience on the daily because of the color of their skin is incredibly important to me。 Add the fact that one of my favorite people recommended it， makes it extra special。Isabel Wilkerson taught me so much more than I expected。 What was that， that she taught me you ask？ 5+++ stars！ I was so ready to delve into this book。 As a walking talking privileged female， I was ready。 As an abolitionist in constant training， I was excited！ Reading， watching， learning all I can about what my BIPOC brethren experience on the daily because of the color of their skin is incredibly important to me。 Add the fact that one of my favorite people recommended it， makes it extra special。Isabel Wilkerson taught me so much more than I expected。 What was that， that she taught me you ask？ A LOT！ Aside from the fact that reading about BIPOC from a BIPOC woman makes me shut up and pay attention， Wilkerson also happens to be a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist。 So there’s that。 Read about the caste systems from different parts of the world。 You’ll also be amazed to learn how caste systems here in the US influenced other parts of the world。 Nothing to be proud of folks！ Read it， you won’t regret it。 。。。more
Stephanie Baltimore
，
"Caste" is a monumental work。 This is one of those books that comes around from time to time that leaves one profoundly changed and richer for having read it。 Isabel Wilkerson belongs in the hall of fame of historian legends; David McCullough， Ken Burnes， Doris Kearns Goodwin， Jon Meacham。。。。 In my opinion， "Caste" should be required reading in every high school History， Sociology and/or Anthropology course in the United States。 It is heady， profound and meticulously researched。 I used a highlig "Caste" is a monumental work。 This is one of those books that comes around from time to time that leaves one profoundly changed and richer for having read it。 Isabel Wilkerson belongs in the hall of fame of historian legends; David McCullough， Ken Burnes， Doris Kearns Goodwin， Jon Meacham。。。。 In my opinion， "Caste" should be required reading in every high school History， Sociology and/or Anthropology course in the United States。 It is heady， profound and meticulously researched。 I used a highlighter and pen while reading it to take notes。 Thank you， Ms。 Wilkerson， for this powerful tome。 。。。more
Shawn Burke
，
There is lots of new information （for me） in this book but what it really does is put things into a framework that explains so much about what it happening today。
Michelle Fenske
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Do you ever finish a book and immediately want to start it again？ That's how I feel at the end of Caste。 This book is exquisitely written。 I found I couldn't absorb more than 1-2 chapters at once。 It's dense and requires time to digest。 And， it blew my mind。"Part Two: The Arbitrary Construction of Human Divisions" hit hardest for me。 In this section， Wilkerson lays out in clear and undeniable detail how the racial caste system in the U。S。 was entrenched before the colonies ever broke away from E Do you ever finish a book and immediately want to start it again？ That's how I feel at the end of Caste。 This book is exquisitely written。 I found I couldn't absorb more than 1-2 chapters at once。 It's dense and requires time to digest。 And， it blew my mind。"Part Two: The Arbitrary Construction of Human Divisions" hit hardest for me。 In this section， Wilkerson lays out in clear and undeniable detail how the racial caste system in the U。S。 was entrenched before the colonies ever broke away from England。 Caste has morphed over time， and it has been perpetuated to this day。 I read this book concurrently with Jesus and John Wayne， which has been a real trip and left me in a strange headspace about my country。。。 。。。more
Leona
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4。4 stars
Chiara
，
This book absolutely nailed the ending/conclusion。 The writing was a bit wandering in the middle， but the thesis of this book is so important。 More thoughts later。
Tiffany Green
，
Horrible， necessary reading
Chrisanne
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Haunting prose。 And more to think about。 And more questions。
Lobelys A。
，
“Before there was a United States of America， there was a caste system…” This is by far the most educational and informative book I have ever read。 A really powerful delivery of such a sensitive topic。
Josephine
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Eye-opening and heartbreaking， I couldn’t put it down。 Caste is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the strangle-hold that race has on our country。 Wilkerson’s writing is beautiful… I cried several times while reading it。 It quietly screamed that I must do more。
Kristen
，
A must-read。
Katie
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3。5 stars overall。 I will give this book 5 stars for raising my consciousness; shame on me for not pursuing this education sooner。 I appreciated the facts and shocking documented history that the author shared。 I loved her writing and willingness to share her own experiences， and I do look forward to reading more by this author。 Having said this， I will confess I was lost in parts of the book， not sure what I was supposed to take away from certain chapters。 The mixture of historical reference/in 3。5 stars overall。 I will give this book 5 stars for raising my consciousness; shame on me for not pursuing this education sooner。 I appreciated the facts and shocking documented history that the author shared。 I loved her writing and willingness to share her own experiences， and I do look forward to reading more by this author。 Having said this， I will confess I was lost in parts of the book， not sure what I was supposed to take away from certain chapters。 The mixture of historical reference/insight and personal opinions blurred a bit at times， but possibly that was the intention。 It is a very important and timely book。 。。。more
Deanna
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Well-written。 Important。 Heart-breaking。 Angering。 Relatable （unfortunately）。 I listened to this on audiobook， but I am going to buy a hard copy and re-read。 It's that good。 Everyone needs to read this; it's like the history class we all should have taken。 Well-written。 Important。 Heart-breaking。 Angering。 Relatable （unfortunately）。 I listened to this on audiobook， but I am going to buy a hard copy and re-read。 It's that good。 Everyone needs to read this; it's like the history class we all should have taken。 。。。more
Mary Robinson
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Amazing。
Adam G Perschbacher
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At times sobering and even chilling， I feel this book is necessary reading for everyone of my generation。 While I didn't find it a thorough as I wanted， nor perhaps as believable in some circumstances （Wilkerson shies from a lot of specificity in some of her anecdotes， deriving them of authenticity）， I still found myself stunned for the much of the length of it。。。 and perhaps reassessing my own lack of appreciation on what American life is to us all。 At times sobering and even chilling， I feel this book is necessary reading for everyone of my generation。 While I didn't find it a thorough as I wanted， nor perhaps as believable in some circumstances （Wilkerson shies from a lot of specificity in some of her anecdotes， deriving them of authenticity）， I still found myself stunned for the much of the length of it。。。 and perhaps reassessing my own lack of appreciation on what American life is to us all。 。。。more
Judith
，
Excellent book。 I recommend it for book clubs and all high school classes。
Zuri
，
Yeah， this is fantastic。 I listened to the audiobook because I was afraid of the size （not the length。 The size of a book I would have to hold in my hands。）， and I was super engaged the whole time。 Obviously would recommend reading the book if you want to annotate， but the audiobook was not one that will put you to sleep （rare for nonfiction）。 I haven't read anything else by the inexplicably hot Wilkerson， but I definitely want to read her other big one。 This book offers an intriguing premise （t Yeah， this is fantastic。 I listened to the audiobook because I was afraid of the size （not the length。 The size of a book I would have to hold in my hands。）， and I was super engaged the whole time。 Obviously would recommend reading the book if you want to annotate， but the audiobook was not one that will put you to sleep （rare for nonfiction）。 I haven't read anything else by the inexplicably hot Wilkerson， but I definitely want to read her other big one。 This book offers an intriguing premise （that America is a caste system much like Nazi Germany & India）， is very well researched and organized， I learned so so much， including about the other more well-known caste systems， and I'm definitely on board with her assertion。 It's absolutely required reading。 。。。more
Natasha
，
There is a reason that this book has such a high rating。 Well I have read many books on racism and social justice， this book provides a framework to explain the social stratification in America that is shockingly accurate and quite easily understood。 In addition， the author is an amazing storyteller and provides antidotes that stand as examples helping to conceptualize some of these difficult concepts。 Very well done。
Maggie
，