Book Recommendation!

Caste: The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson.

Caste examines American history, Germany during the 1930s, and India to examine how those cultures and governments segregated populations. She reminds us, for example, that Nazi Germany in the thirties used the methods of the American South and how they treated blacks to help the Nazis "identify" who was Jewish: with horrific consequences for both.

Three things about this book. First, it is a deep and vital read about our history and race. We cannot understand where we are today without understanding the past. Second, after I finished it, I was angry: I thought I was educated; I took American History and Civics in high school and college. I read. I thought I was educated. However, I was astonished by what had been left out of my formal education. The teaching of history is always a political act, not consistently tethered in fact. The politics of teaching history in the last 200 years in America was about ignoring deep and entrenched racism. Wilkerson's book was a significant wake-up call.

Finally, for extra credit, Wilkerson's book is one of the most banned books as we go through this most recent convulsion of trying to limit what can be read because it may make some people "uncomfortable." I'd much rather be uncomfortable and know the whole story than live comfortably with illusions.

Caste is a great book, and I highly recommend it.