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Caste

The Origins of Our Discontents

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Caste

By: Isabel Wilkerson
Narrated by: Robin Miles
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power - which groups have it and which do not.

Beyond race or class, our lives are defined by a powerful, unspoken system of divisions. In Caste, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson gives an astounding portrait of this hidden phenomenon. Linking America, India and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson reveals how our world has been shaped by caste - and how its rigid, arbitrary hierarchies still divide us today.

With clear-sighted rigour, Wilkerson unearths the eight pillars that connect caste systems across civilisations and demonstrates how our own era of intensifying conflict and upheaval has arisen as a consequence of caste. Weaving in stories of real people, she shows how its insidious undertow emerges every day, she documents its surprising health costs and she explores its effects on culture and politics. Finally, Wilkerson points forward to the ways we can - and must - move beyond its artificial divisions, towards our common humanity.

Beautifully written and deeply original, Caste is an eye-opening examination of what lies beneath the surface of ordinary lives. No one can afford to ignore the moral clarity of its insights or its urgent call for a freer, fairer world.

©2020 Isabel Wilkerson (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Politics & Government Racism & Discrimination Social Classes & Economic Disparity Social Sciences Sociology Discrimination Scary Thought-Provoking Social justice
All stars
Most relevant  
This must be listened to and appreciated. So well put together and read. I was drawn to every word and conscious of the weight of each word.

Essential

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Amazing audiobook which will shock the listener and provide an understanding of the meaning of caste
Highly recommended

Caste in society

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Excellent description of something that I didn't have the language to articulate. Thank you for your work, it has helped me in mine.

Thought provoking and game changing

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Loved it! but found Racism and Castism as interchangeable terms so would've liked a bit more expansion on how these terms differ and the importance of being able to differentiate between the two.

Powerful Read

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Jaw on the floor and slap round the face Insightful. For someone outside the USA, a mandatory education.

Jaw on the Floor

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The world, not just America, desperately needs this book. It should be taught in schools everywhere as essential reading. Profoundly wise. Brilliantly narrated.

An essential read.

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This is such an important book. I think everyone should read it. Highly recommend. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Highly recommended

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This book is very thought provoking. On many occasions it casts a long bow in categorising the racial divide in US with the caste system of India.But in saying that it made me think and consider.
As an non-American but someone who has visited the US many times, I am constantly bewildered by the lip service that is given to race (and guns which is another story) yet nothing changes. As the quote says, for evil to triumph in the world, good people do nothing.
My home country is not without atrocities but I am sickened by the content of the stories shared in this book.
I believe this book should be required reading in US

A long bow

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This book is a marvel. Wonderfully written, well researched and extraordinarily powerful. Many of the chapters I felt an overwhelm of emotions. Anger, sadness, disgust, shame, horror and disbelief. I exclaims out loud many times “wtf”. It’s hard to listen to the behaviour being discussed and know that it has happened, and still happens, in a country touted as been “great”. Change is needed now. If these atrocities were in any other country the UN would be speaking out. It was a personal journey for me in understanding the privilege I was born into. At one point in the book I wanted to put it down and walk away from the emotional pain. Then I realised that is the definition of white privilege that I can walk away when others cannot. So I stayed in it and felt the pain. Boy. Read this book. That’s all I can say. Read the book.

A must read for every person

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I feel I'm a better person for having read it. It was incredibly confronting - suddenly I'm made aware at a grass roots level of the degree and the horror of racism in America. I understand her theme, and understand why she titled the book 'Caste'. This is a message for us all, no matter where or when we live. An important work which will hopefully deliver a wake up call on a large scale. She deserves a prize for this one.

An important book

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