” ‘Caste: The Origin of our Discontent’ by Isabel Wilkerson should be required reading. It is one of the heaviest books I’ve ever read and frames much of today’s unrest, political cacophony and social discord by looking hard at the history of our relationship with race. She argues that race is a relatively recent social construct that belies the deeper and troubling truth that we are living in a caste system.
“Wilkerson’s cogent arguments – including comparisons to Hitler and the Nazis – are worthy of deep discussion by all who are quick to lay the blame for today’s troubling times and bad behavior solely at the feet of former President Trump. While he is more culpable than many, he was, in fact, the beneficiary of backlash from many people’s beliefs about gender and race and their discomfort with his predecessor, Barack Obama, and his family.
“As the author concludes, ‘The tyranny of caste is that we are judged on the very things we cannot change: a chemical in the epidermis, the shape of one’s facial features, the signposts on our bodies of gender and ancestry – superficial differences that have nothing to do with who we are inside….Caste is a disease, and none of us is immune….A single election will not solve the problems that we face if we haven’t dealt with the structure that created the imbalance to begin with.’” — MEREDITH H. JONES, Belfast
Mainers, please email to tell us about the book on your bedside table right now. In a paragraph or two, describe the book and be sure to tell us what drew you to it. As the pandemic lingers, we want to hear what you are reading in these unsettled times and why. Send your selection to pgrodinsky@pressherald.com, and we may use it as a future Bedside Table.
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