Friday, May 24, 2024

A Must Read--Caste

                                                                      


Like many folks, I am really tired of having to think about the former guy, weary of seeing his scowling face every time I look at the news, and saddened at the number of fellow citizens who support him. It's a bit like "The Body Snatchers"--that classic horror flick where aliens had taken over ordinary people's bodies and you couldn't tell who was infected and who wasn't.

So when I opened my Kindle and began to read this highly recommended and praised book, I was kinda taken aback to find that the election of 2016 and the popularity of the orange one were the opening salvo in this discourse on how racism and caste shape our world.

It's something I've become increasingly aware of--the knowledge that I live in a country that was formed on the ruins of conquered civilizations, that was built with the labor of enslaved humans, and that has yet to come to terms with that ignoble history.

I am struck at how relevant this book is to this particular moment in history. Quoting Wilkerson; "The election (of 2016) would set the United States on a course towards isolationism, tribalism, the walling in and protecting of one's own, the worship of wealth and acquisition at the expense of others, even of the planet itself."

And here we are. Deja vu, all over again. 

This book came out in 2020 and I'm just now getting to it. I haven't yet finished it but wanted to post about it now while the Kindle price is low (under $3.)

An excellent review is HERE.

5 comments:

Barbara Rogers said...

We certainly are living in interesting times.

Anvilcloud said...

That a racist criminal could catch the support of Christians absolutely flummoxes me.

Sandra Parshall said...

The caste system is still strong in the U.S., sad to say.

JJM said...

Thank you for the recommendation, Vicki -- even though I've been avoiding reading books dealing with our time and how we ended up here. (I still haven't cracked my copy of the 6 January Committee transcripts, and I have more state-of-the-world books stacked up.) It's all far too depressing, and I now tend more towards reading books mostly for pleasure. (Currently half-way through Rudyard Kipling's Kim -- which at least deals with a somewhat more time-ago state of affairs, albeit with lasting consequences.)

I've splurged on the Wilkerson, though. Despite my vow I wouldn't buy any more books until I'd read all my backlog, print & Kindle both. Which, considering the backlog comprises hundreds of titles (not an exaggeration) ... [sighs]

Vicki Lane said...

It's a necessary read. I've been escaping with Grisham and Hillerman and any number of old favorites, but I feel obligated to do a bit of serious reading now and then. This does not disappoint.