The End of Bias: A Beginning: How We Eliminate Unconscious Bias and Create a More Just World
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- Create Date：2022-09-23 06:53:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jessica Nordell
- ISBN：1250812089
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Summary
FINALIST FOR THE NYPL HELEN BERNSTEIN AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM， THE LUKAS BOOK PRIZE， AND THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE
2022 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARD SILVER MEDAL * AMERICAN SOCIETY OF JOURNALISTS AND AUTHORS HONORABLE MENTION IN GENERAL NONFICTION
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM， AARP， GREATER GOOD， AND INC。
The End of Bias is a transformative， groundbreaking exploration into how we can eradicate unintentional bias and discrimination， the great challenge of our age。
Unconscious bias: persistent， unintentional prejudiced behavior that clashes with our consciously held beliefs。 We know that it exists， to corrosive and even lethal effect。 We see it in medicine， the workplace， education， policing， and beyond。 But when it comes to uprooting our prejudices， we still have far to go。
With nuance， compassion， and ten years' immersion in the topic， Jessica Nordell weaves gripping stories with scientific research to reveal how minds， hearts， and behaviors change。 She scrutinizes diversity training， deployed across the land as a corrective but with inconsistent results。 She explores what works and why: the diagnostic checklist used by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital that eliminated disparate treatment of men and women; the preschool in Sweden where teachers found ingenious ways to uproot gender stereotyping; the police unit in Oregon where the practice of mindfulness and specialized training has coincided with a startling drop in the use of force。
Captivating， direct， and transformative， The End of Bias: A Beginning brings good news。 Biased behavior can change; the approaches outlined here show how we can begin to remake ourselves and our world。
Includes illustrated charts
2022 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARD SILVER MEDAL * AMERICAN SOCIETY OF JOURNALISTS AND AUTHORS HONORABLE MENTION IN GENERAL NONFICTION
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM， AARP， GREATER GOOD， AND INC。
The End of Bias is a transformative， groundbreaking exploration into how we can eradicate unintentional bias and discrimination， the great challenge of our age。
Unconscious bias: persistent， unintentional prejudiced behavior that clashes with our consciously held beliefs。 We know that it exists， to corrosive and even lethal effect。 We see it in medicine， the workplace， education， policing， and beyond。 But when it comes to uprooting our prejudices， we still have far to go。
With nuance， compassion， and ten years' immersion in the topic， Jessica Nordell weaves gripping stories with scientific research to reveal how minds， hearts， and behaviors change。 She scrutinizes diversity training， deployed across the land as a corrective but with inconsistent results。 She explores what works and why: the diagnostic checklist used by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital that eliminated disparate treatment of men and women; the preschool in Sweden where teachers found ingenious ways to uproot gender stereotyping; the police unit in Oregon where the practice of mindfulness and specialized training has coincided with a startling drop in the use of force。
Captivating， direct， and transformative， The End of Bias: A Beginning brings good news。 Biased behavior can change; the approaches outlined here show how we can begin to remake ourselves and our world。
Includes illustrated charts
Reviews
Jenna Duvall
，
I really enjoyed this and think that it could be a book that could be referenced in any kind of setting。 It does a deep dive on bias in a range of settings and the effects it has on both individuals and groups。 The book address different types of bias and scientific studies people have used to combat it。 Even if someone doesn’t agree with every area of this book， I think it can still be taken as a reliable reference“Too little understanding of another group leads to fear and hatred。 Too much emp I really enjoyed this and think that it could be a book that could be referenced in any kind of setting。 It does a deep dive on bias in a range of settings and the effects it has on both individuals and groups。 The book address different types of bias and scientific studies people have used to combat it。 Even if someone doesn’t agree with every area of this book， I think it can still be taken as a reliable reference“Too little understanding of another group leads to fear and hatred。 Too much emphasis on what makes the group “other” can lead to prejudice。” 。。。more
Emily Heer
，
Taking off one star for the section on behavioral economics。
Sam Steer
，
A lie repeated often enough does not become truth， it becomes invisible。
Bryan
，
I hosted a discussion with Jessica Nordell which is available here。 I hosted a discussion with Jessica Nordell which is available here。 。。。more
Steve
，
Nordell's 278 page exposition on implicit and explicit bias is as transformative as it is ambitious。An individual human must alone take on the uncomfortable work of ending his/her biases。 But we must also imagine and work toward building societies that recognize others as worthy individuals。Nordell identifies and articulates how an individual can take on such uncomfortable work as well as lighting the way forward by illuminating historical and cultural roots of the problem。Just like over the las Nordell's 278 page exposition on implicit and explicit bias is as transformative as it is ambitious。An individual human must alone take on the uncomfortable work of ending his/her biases。 But we must also imagine and work toward building societies that recognize others as worthy individuals。Nordell identifies and articulates how an individual can take on such uncomfortable work as well as lighting the way forward by illuminating historical and cultural roots of the problem。Just like over the last few decades human innovation and available knowledge has grown exponentially， so also has understanding of social psychology and anthropology。 We CAN and must learn from it。She concludes with words of South African scholar Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela， who served on her country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission noting that "Descartes' famous notion: "I think， therefore I am" reflects a sense of individual existence that is independent of others。 In fact， she says， we exist in and through each other: our humanity depends on our ability to bestow humanity on others。 This truth surpasses the business case for ending bias; it strengthens the culture case and underpins the justice case。 We end bias for the sake of others and for our own。Who might we become without our illusions and denials？ We might become human， and trustworthy。 We might all become free。 。。。more
Karey Crain
，
Nordell tells the story of bias in an engaging （and sometimes enraging！） way， both highlighting the problem， the problem with some “solutions” that have been deployed， and detailed descriptions of solutions that have actually worked。 I found it educational and instructive， as well as enjoyable and hopeful。 I want to recommend it to everyone I know - especially people who have influence and who want to make a difference in their communities。
Nicola
，
Part one of this book should be required reading， in my opinion。 It describes the discovery of bias and how the understanding of how bias is created and how it operates have entered into the field of psychology。 I was fascinated by the story of how a grad students unlikely research became so fundamental to our understanding of prejudice。 The scope of this book is wide and it covers a lot of ground。 While part one is the most scientific part， the rest documents a exploration of significant histor Part one of this book should be required reading， in my opinion。 It describes the discovery of bias and how the understanding of how bias is created and how it operates have entered into the field of psychology。 I was fascinated by the story of how a grad students unlikely research became so fundamental to our understanding of prejudice。 The scope of this book is wide and it covers a lot of ground。 While part one is the most scientific part， the rest documents a exploration of significant histories of social justice and a personal reckoning with the struggle to understand and overcome personal bias。 。。。more
Kallie
，
A lot of good information， but I think I'd like more original research， it felt like I was just learning what a few experts had found， but from a secondary source。 A lot of good information， but I think I'd like more original research， it felt like I was just learning what a few experts had found， but from a secondary source。 。。。more
Kate
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Outstanding and highly recommended！ I read slowly to absorb its heft。
Callen
，
Powerful and clear。 This is the diversity book I’ve been waiting for。 Concepts I’d previously failed to grasp were explained clearly， and interventions explained。 I liked how this book offered insight into interventions that have been shown to work。
Sue
，
Well researched and written。 Current and relevant。 I particularly found the chapter on policing in LA most interesting。 Author used lots of real life examples。 Not a quick read and you have to be in the right mood to read it。
Aadesh
，
The storytelling of human bias with a diverse set of stories felt really powerful as I help me to notice some prejudices that I unknowingly hold。 It was brilliant to point out mindfulness as one of the ways to know that bias exists and can be dealt with。 Overall， all the stories and facts point out that every one of us has many biases that need to be addressed for society to prosper。
Thomas Edmund
，
LOL， oh dear I have to say first up that I picked this book up from the library with a much different cover （e。g。 not the one with glass， ceiling， police brutality etc） just a plain colour cover。 Point is I kinda assumed the book would be about cognitive bias in general no sexism and racism specifically。（yes I unironically judge books by their cover）Anyway not unhappy though - Jessica "J" Nordell presents a very powerful and insightful review of these concerns and several potential interventions LOL， oh dear I have to say first up that I picked this book up from the library with a much different cover （e。g。 not the one with glass， ceiling， police brutality etc） just a plain colour cover。 Point is I kinda assumed the book would be about cognitive bias in general no sexism and racism specifically。（yes I unironically judge books by their cover）Anyway not unhappy though - Jessica "J" Nordell presents a very powerful and insightful review of these concerns and several potential interventions to reduce the harm caused。What I particularly liked is while Nordell didn't shy away from hard-hitting or extreme cases of bias and prejudice， there was a very thorough exploration of unconscious and unintentional bias that I wish that people who were not overtly bigoted but seem to think that disadvantaged groups 'have it better' thanks to interventions。What I found myself drawn into was the cold statistical modeling that showed that even small biases in promotion result in sweeping prejudice at higher levels of management。 That and literally no men ever get their personalities criticized in performance reviews while 70-80% of women do。Pretty much everything about this book was well presented， a good balance of specific stories， interviews， studies， and arguments。 Looking forward to future books from Nordell。 。。。more
Diogo
，
A great perspective on how bias is all around and what we can do to bê more conscious about it
Kara Henry
，
One that needs to be read slowly or over and over。 I devoured this and will be reading it again。
S
，
Finally intersectionality is coming back on the scene！
Laurel
，
Well worth the read - the case studies， the research， and the topics covered here are relevant to anyone。 Bias exists and we are all complicit in it， and bias itself is fairly neutral - it’s the actions we take when unaware of our biases （or uncaring of） that can cause harm。 Awareness of bias and how it ripples out into the world around you is just the first step。 I’d say this felt like an admirable book to me。
Alison
，
If you are new to the idea of bias， there may be a lot in this book that surprises you。 She does a good job capturing examples and writing about them in a conversational way that's easy to digest。 If you've spent years seeking out studies， articles or papers on the topic， there's likely little that's new or novel here for you。 Nutshell: it's well written and well organized – I think the star rating will depend on the audience and their existing knowledge base。 If you are new to the idea of bias， there may be a lot in this book that surprises you。 She does a good job capturing examples and writing about them in a conversational way that's easy to digest。 If you've spent years seeking out studies， articles or papers on the topic， there's likely little that's new or novel here for you。 Nutshell: it's well written and well organized – I think the star rating will depend on the audience and their existing knowledge base。 。。。more
Sally
，
This is the best of the books about ending bias that I've read。 It is full of research and its implications for action。 Yet the book presents the implications for action as something to live with and decide how to apply to your own life and work。 All of us have unconscious bias so working on ourselves first is critical。 This is the best of the books about ending bias that I've read。 It is full of research and its implications for action。 Yet the book presents the implications for action as something to live with and decide how to apply to your own life and work。 All of us have unconscious bias so working on ourselves first is critical。 。。。more
Carin
，
Despite what we see on the news， most bias is unconscious and ever-present。 We each can combat it， one at a time， on a daily basis， by understanding where and how bias can creep into our lives， even those of us who have long strived to live in a more equal society。 In Ms。 Nordell’s thoughtful and compelling book， she points out that claiming to be color-blind is one of the worst things we as a society can do， as ignoring bias or pretending it doesn’t exist， means you certainly can’t fight to pre Despite what we see on the news， most bias is unconscious and ever-present。 We each can combat it， one at a time， on a daily basis， by understanding where and how bias can creep into our lives， even those of us who have long strived to live in a more equal society。 In Ms。 Nordell’s thoughtful and compelling book， she points out that claiming to be color-blind is one of the worst things we as a society can do， as ignoring bias or pretending it doesn’t exist， means you certainly can’t fight to prevent it， even in your own mind。 If you’re in denial about it， you’re going to perpetuate it。The book starts with the baffling story of a trans man in academia who has literally been on both sides of the gender divide and heard people demean his earlier papers as written by his obviously less-smart “sister。” Ms。 Nordell herself experienced it after having an article idea rejected dozens of times， she created an email account as a man， submitted it again to someone who had rejected it， and it was instantly accepted。Throughout his look into various kinds of bias， Ms。 Nordell even points out times when she’s been shocked to discover her own bias in certain situations。 A few studies she cites are discouraging， such as reminding interviewers before the interview process to be more open-minded lead to less diverse hires。 However， those are luckily the exception。 She discusses rare effective DEI trainings （the trainings themselves aren’t rare at all， but the effective ones are）， how checklists get women more equal medical treatment， and how mindfulness trainings， while often fought against， have proven highly effective in police departments with reducing both incidents of bias and also use of force generally。 This book doesn’t attack anyone， doesn’t lecture， points out good and bad situations and methods of trying to help。 I think everyone should read this book。 （And she’s a great audiobook reader。） 。。。more
Celeste
，
Super important and eye opening。
Beth
，
Fascinating， frustrating， empowering， all the things - Nordell does an incredible job of presenting a variety of scientific studies and making them accessible and compelling。 She not only proves that we have unconscious biases， but goes into details on proven ways we can begin to dismantle and overcome them。 Incredibly powerful。
Kelly Dombroski
，
This is one of the best overviews of bias （including racism， sexism， ageism， ableism and more） that I have read。 What I liked most was that Nordell reviews actual institutional interventions that have made changes。 She reviews the evidence for bias， and the evidence for different interventions。 One of the reasons the LAPD was making fatal errors leading to the death of black men， for example， was the way that ongoing stress and a toxic work environment led to officers overreacting， and taking me This is one of the best overviews of bias （including racism， sexism， ageism， ableism and more） that I have read。 What I liked most was that Nordell reviews actual institutional interventions that have made changes。 She reviews the evidence for bias， and the evidence for different interventions。 One of the reasons the LAPD was making fatal errors leading to the death of black men， for example， was the way that ongoing stress and a toxic work environment led to officers overreacting， and taking mental shortcuts which were just plain racist。 Part of the solution was to intervene in the toxic work environment through community policing experience rather than military style strategic trainings （that enhanced racist bias）， as well as teaching ordinary mindfulness strategies so officers could better recognise when they were on the edge and act to intervene in their own lives。 That's just one solid example among many， including in kindergartens， universities， healthcare settings and more。The book -- like many -- is almost entirely American-focused， so may have limited connection to places elsewhere （I'd love to see an New Zealand/Australian version！）。 But I still learned a lot and could recommend this to managers and people with power in institutions to make change -- principals， pro-vice-chancellors， chief of staff， and hospital managers CHECK THIS OUT IT COULD SAVE LIVES。 。。。more
Rhoda
，
Thank you to @allenandunwin for sending me a copy of this book to review！This book provides a comprehensive look at unconscious bias and although this encompasses gender bias， racial bias， religious bias， disability bias， age bias and pretty much every other type of bias you can imagine， it primarily explores gender and racial bias - simply because these have been the subject of more studies thus far。 Delving further into these biases， the author examines how these play out across everyday life， Thank you to @allenandunwin for sending me a copy of this book to review！This book provides a comprehensive look at unconscious bias and although this encompasses gender bias， racial bias， religious bias， disability bias， age bias and pretty much every other type of bias you can imagine， it primarily explores gender and racial bias - simply because these have been the subject of more studies thus far。 Delving further into these biases， the author examines how these play out across everyday life， from medical settings， educational settings， the workplace and examples of ways people have tried to combat these biases with varying degrees of success， along with studies and their findings。 The author presents that every single person has biases - many of which we don’t even realize we have - how we are being affected by bias and what we can do about it。 This was a fascinating read that presented some really interesting ideas that I fully intend to be mindful of in my own life。 All of the points raised included examples which made the information easier to digest and quite palatable。 Although it sounds like I ate the book 😆 - I didn’t - although I did devour the information in it， as it was so well researched and presented。 I love a book that makes you think and this book provided so many points to consider。 Definitely worth reading as I think it can work as great inspiration for conversation and change。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5。 。。。more
Lena T
，
This was a great review of existing research from around the world。 If you are looking for the data to back up how to work on these practices， it is very useful and I do recommend it。But a few critiques: - It introduces new research in easy to understand ways， but there's a lot of concepts that are not new。 Nordell does credit the mostly Black writers and thinkers who have built a lot of these ideas and concepts。 She does a bit of exactly what she points out as a problem， which is recentering he This was a great review of existing research from around the world。 If you are looking for the data to back up how to work on these practices， it is very useful and I do recommend it。But a few critiques: - It introduces new research in easy to understand ways， but there's a lot of concepts that are not new。 Nordell does credit the mostly Black writers and thinkers who have built a lot of these ideas and concepts。 She does a bit of exactly what she points out as a problem， which is recentering her whiteness and her experiences。 That being said that doesn't wreck the book。 Their is so much valuable info， I'd still recommend it with the warning that。。。- again with the centering of whiteness。 She often writes bluntly about violence on Black bodies in a way that is very detailed and didn't always feel necessary。 Presumably she's adding those details so that readers understand the depth of the violence。 But it felt like the book version of sharing the videos of police violence towards Black bodies， something that was repeatedly critiqued but Black leaders and advocates。 This feels like a book for non-Black people， even though we could all benefit from knowing the existing research。 Although。。。- a lot of this is well trod research， especially the first few chapters。 Granted， I'm deeply in this topic but there weren't any new studies until later chapters。 I also have a concern overall that this may be repeating some research of questionable strength （n sizes etc） and that are yet to be replicated。 Basically the entire book has to be defined as "research suggests" meaning we just don't know for sure about all of this but there's lots of potential and we should keep trying these things。 。。。more
Eric
，
Journalistic take on the question: what is implicit bias and can it be overcome。 （Side note of interest to Buckeyes: the concepts behind what we now know as “implicit bias” were pioneered by the psychologist Patricia Devine in the mid-1980s when she was a graduate student at Ohio State。） What we built， we can unbuild…so no surprises there。 However， the author focuses on several approaches that will interest those looking to “do something” in their workplace or community。 The treatment of anti-bi Journalistic take on the question: what is implicit bias and can it be overcome。 （Side note of interest to Buckeyes: the concepts behind what we now know as “implicit bias” were pioneered by the psychologist Patricia Devine in the mid-1980s when she was a graduate student at Ohio State。） What we built， we can unbuild…so no surprises there。 However， the author focuses on several approaches that will interest those looking to “do something” in their workplace or community。 The treatment of anti-bias training and workplace DEI efforts is likely to draw some attention， but boils down to it’s not always effective， so buyer beware， and in some cases doing *any old thing* can make things worse， so do the best right thing。 Not so helpful for those that have to actually *do* something， esp in the workplace。 Useful to underscore that the intention of employers seeking to “do something” is important as is the quality and capability of the experts tapped to provide training。 The book is good in answering the “whether” question， with detailed reporting on effective anti-bias efforts in policing in Oregon and preschool in Sweden， but less valuable in dealing with the “how” question。 So， the answer in short might be “there’s hope， but go figure it out on your own。” The footnotes are good and give readers who are wondering “how，” lots of places from which to start。 。。。more
Matt Busche
，
Talks about all different kinds of bias， not just racial bias， and how it affects people of all ages， especially children。 A very through provoking read。
Ashley
，
30 Books in 30 Days， Vol。 2Book 18/30Yep， still catching up on my April reviews。 This one has been holding me up because the book was very good and very smart and those two things by themselves nearly always stymie me in my review-writing， but together it's just a recipe for disaster。 Brain frozen， words will not come。 So I am starting this review—which I need to get out of the way because I want to be caught up on reviews before I start my July reading bonanza—by not talking about the book， of 30 Books in 30 Days， Vol。 2Book 18/30Yep， still catching up on my April reviews。 This one has been holding me up because the book was very good and very smart and those two things by themselves nearly always stymie me in my review-writing， but together it's just a recipe for disaster。 Brain frozen， words will not come。 So I am starting this review—which I need to get out of the way because I want to be caught up on reviews before I start my July reading bonanza—by not talking about the book， of course， but instead about myself。 An egocentric tip for breaking up your writer's block！Ugh， it's been a day since I wrote that last paragraph and I'm back to being blocked， most of you probably know why。 Having read this book， though， did feel like a clarifying exercise， so if you're feeling down right now this might actually help。I was extremely skeptical of this book going in。 I was sent it by the publisher and put off reading it， because it seemed like it was just too big of a topic to possibly cover in one book， but the author pulled it off。 She writes in clear engaging prose， backs up her arguments with scientific studies， and pulls in stories from the real world to give examples。 Most importantly， she offers not just analysis on what our brains are doing and why in regards to bias， but an actual solution and action plan going forward to combat it。 This is mostly focused on what you can do individually， but she does acknowledge that lasting change needs to be accompanied by structural change as well as individual change， even though that is beyond the book's scope。Highly recommend this one。NB: This book was sent to me by the publisher but that has not affected the content of my review。 。。。more
Zelia Lerch
，
I finally finished this… 5 months in the making （sorry ms eastham）。 An incredibly important book to read both for those who are directly affected by others’ implicit bias and for those who exercise their own on the people around them。 It’s important to look at each situation of prejudice with the lens that you aren’t always going to be in the right and being defensive about the situation won’t make light of your actions。 I feel like this is a book everyone should read at least once
JRennet
，