Caste
Categories: History
In this 2020 book, journalist Isabel Wilkerson argues that racism in the United States is best understood as part of a caste system, a hierarchy built on ideas of rank, inclusion, exclusion and purity. Following her earlier book The Warmth of Other Suns, Wilkerson compares America's system with the caste systems of India and Nazi Germany and identifies the pillars that hold such systems in place. She mixes history with personal stories to show how caste shapes everyday life and who holds power.