I read this after completing 'the warmth of other suns' and this is an an excellent follow-up, going deeper and wider into the issues. Both books are very rewarding, very comprehensive but very long.

I found this an enlightening and inspiring book. Although I see myself as racist and will form a judgement on people in first encountering them, with race being one of the factors affecting that judgement, I try to curtail that reaction before it becomes an external action. But I′ve never been able to clearly identify why I have that reaction in the first place.
By positioning racism within the framework of caste, it gave me a completely different viewpoint on how it is a consequence of the society we live in. In some ways I was able to relate it to Class which I have more experience with in the UK, but as the author says ″If you can act your way out of it, then it is class, not caste.″ Using the historical example of Nazi Germany, and the ongoing caste struggles in India, gave a wider perspective on prejudice which at the same time illuminated the specifics of it in Western culture – mainly American but I think it applies more widely.

The idea of caste in America is not a new one, which the author acknowledges with reference to previous writing in this area, but she lays out the evidence in clear and well-argued prose. At times this seems a problem too big to solve, but near the end of the book is a small anecdote, which suggests that forming small connections, can make small steps towards progress. 
This is the second book I′ve read by this author. They were both about difficult, complex subjects, but she writes about them in such an engrossing way that they are never tedious.


I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley.

I read The Warmth of Other Suns and really enjoyed it.  So,  I was really happy when Penguin approved my #netgalley request to read this book. This book could be seen as a sequel, or partner, of the book 'The Warmth of Other Suns'.  The Warmth of Other Suns focuses on the effects of racism on the lives of Black Americans.  Caste seeks to shed a new light on the causes of racism.  This book explores the concept ‘caste' and the ways that the concept could be utilized to understand Race relations in the United States.  This book is beautifully written and provides; a brilliant exploration of the history of race relations in the USA, an insightful analysis of the country’s present challenges, and a signpost to a better future. It is a great book for those trying to understand race, and Caste, relations in the USA and the world. A high recommend.

Isabel Wilkerson completely captured my attention throughout this book which addresses how the Caste system in India is similar to the hierarchy in America of different races. ⠀
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There were so many different aspects of this book that made it thought-provoking and I felt like I had learned so much more about the history of slavery and segregation. ⠀
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I also loved how this book dated back to the slavery era and worked all the way up to Donald Trump’s presidency, there wasn’t a chronological order but it didn’t feel stilted or like it jumped back and forth. There was an eloquent and important sequence of this novel that worked so well with what Wilkerson was addressing. ⠀
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This is such a must read for everyone. I now need to read The Warmth Of Other Suns after reading this outstanding non-fiction books!

Parts of Caste are as horrid and difficult to stomach as Roots was to me when it came out and I was 7 (cry) (angry)!  Parts of it are amazing and enlightening.  It is extremely well-written and researched and I recommend it to all especially those studying as a course companion it is so comprehensive. 

Personally if we were re-writing the cannon for literature to be truly inclusive then this is one that should be there with Charles Darwin and The Origin of the Species. 

It is more centred around USA but it makes sense as you read, it shows that there is a unique and long history that has created the discrimination there.  It also touches on other systems for comparison e.g. Nazi Germany.  It explains why/how Trump got in and shows that basic human nature is not always kind and generous otherwise we would never have this situation in this 'modern era' in First world countries. 

I think this one needs to be at the top of everyone's reading list.  BTW It is heavy going so I got the audiobook despite being a reviewer (get the novel for free) and it's one to dip into.

I was given the novel free by netgalley.com for my fair and honest review.

An eye-opening book that everyone should own and should be required reading in schools.  I will be buying a copy to annotate to revisit Isabel Wilkerson’s powerful recount of the caste systems in America, India, and Nazi Germany. I will also be encouraging my friends and family to buy a copy! Thank you @netgalley and Penguin Press UK for my gifted copy in return for my honest review.

An excellent read with an interesting look at caste systems across the US, Germany and India. It made the links clear about hierarchy system and how the dominant class view those below them, both consciously and subconsciously.
I felt saddened by the end because the structural racism in society is so pervasive and engrained, it feels like we need another 300 years to progressively move forward and have all of society on the page.

A big thank-you to Isabel Wilkerson, Penguin Press UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
One of the most important books of this year, tackling the issue of race, caste, class and prejudice, giving insight into how a caste society is built, how it functions and how it shapes an individual.

Caste is a book that needs to be read over and over again. It needs to sink deep down and be absorbed. Its lessons learnt and hopefully passed down the generations. One cannot recommend this enough.

I have been asking everyone these days to get a copy. Yes get one - keep it in your library, and ensure you get a few more to read.

Now I know,.. was what I felt afterwards. I hope you do too

I don't think I will ever forget this book. It affected my very core. It was incredibly well written, the language used was exquisitely chosen and each word belonged exactly where it was selectively placed. It was honest and true and reflected so well the injustices that are visible and are allowed, that are sometimes justified and often times allowed slide. It shows what can happen if there is a will, and what should happen if society, honest, caring and just society had a back bone and decided once and for all that equality should exist for all and not just those who can afford it, who studied for it or who were born into it. This really is a great read, so enlightening and so morally correct that it cannot help but insight disgust in and among us all who see the injustices around us for exactly what they are- prejudice, discrimination, segregation, classism, racism and down right hatred.

An extraordinary and exhaustive piece of scholarship that has changed the way I think about race in America. Wilkerson reframes race as a mechanism of a caste system originating from America’s slave past. This system dictates everything from policing (‘a distant echo of an earlier time when anyone in the dominant caste was deputised, obligated even, to apprehend any black person during the era of slavery’) to ideals of beauty (‘they learn to rank themselves by their proximity to the random traits associated with the dominant caste’). This is both revolutionary and intuitive - Wilkerson tells us what we know in our bones to be true as she autopsies this invisible and insidious system. She explains what otherwise is incomprehensible - the willingness of ordinary people to partake in gross crimes against another group of people on the basis of something as flimsy as skin pigmentation or the shape of a nose, in protection of a caste order that punishes these subordinates for any hint of humanity. 
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This book examines the damage that caste does both to the subordinate caste as well as their dominant counterparts, and to all the groups stuck in between battling for acceptance into the latter. There are no winners in this system in which we are ‘all cast into assigned roles to meet the needs of the larger production. None of us are ourselves’. ⁣
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Hardest to read are the anecdotes which emphasise the human costs of caste. These illustrate how the caste system breaks down those it deems subordinate - a black child had to sit behind a fence and watch whilst his white teammates splashed around in a pool he was not allowed into, a store manager refused to believe that Wilkerson was the interviewer from the NYT he had been waiting for all afternoon, and a young teenage boy was murdered simply for daring to write a love letter to a girl from a caste above his. Yet these are also the most powerful parts of the book, for it is when we look past caste and recognise humanity that we may begin to⁣ dismantle this system.

This has to be read by everyone, following Oprah’s readings and discussions it was fabulous to delve into really learning this book.
Amazing must read for all ages.

One of my best reads this year! The most praiseworthy aspect of this book, besides Isabel’s fantastic writing, is the extent of research. The use of stories and analogies to illustrate the aspects of caste systems makes it engaging and allows one to comprehend the depth of its contents. With extensive quotes from scholars and detailed descriptions of centuries old practices, the book sheds light on the underlying caste system of modern day USA by drawing from the examples of India and Germany. In my view, the book itself is a stepping stone towards progress because of its moving narrative of a novel idea. Additionally, I appreciate that the book is up-to-date with sufficient acknowledgement of the current and ongoing upheaval. 

Thank you the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to access a copy of the book in advance.

𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐞
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Thank you to Allen Lane, Penguin and Netgalley for approving me to read 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 by Isabel Wilkerson.
I don't know what words I can offer that haven't already been said about this book, but I would encourage EVERYONE to read it.
I took my time reading this book, because I wanted to absorb and digest the information, but also as I'm quite an empathetic person it did make me respond emotionally. There is no doubt that we need to do more collectively to break down the invisible but very real barriers of caste.
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𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 ... 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦
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Throughout the book, Wilkerson speaks about caste structures of power using examples from multiple societies and geographies, including comparisons between America, India and Nazi Germany.
I shouldn't be so ignorant as to say that I'm shocked and appalled anymore, but I really was shocked at some the facts that seem so humanely wrong (like the fact that racial marriage laws in Alabama were only overturned in 2000 - yes you read that right) and appalled at some of the stories that Wilkerson shared, including that the Nazi's treatment of Jewish people was actually based on American/colonial treatment of enslaved people of colour.
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𝐀 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬
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I found the structure and flow of this book particularly engaging for such a hard-hitting read, as it uses relayed facts alongside real-life stories - both from Wilkerson herself, and from other people throughout history who are in different caste positions and systems.
I think this book is incredibly important and that everyone seriously needs to read it to recognise and understand the nuances of caste structures, so we can work to change them at least in our own lives.
We should all embrace radical empathy, and keep learning and acting to do better.
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𝐈𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤, 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐚 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞-𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭-𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 ... 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜, 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐱 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝

Isabel Wilkerson is an exceptionally gifted writer in that she has that great skill of communicating something heavy and complex through anecdotes and beautifully structured writing. "Caste" shares this characteristic with her earlier work "The Warmth of Other Suns" and, as a result, is both gloriously readable and absorbing. 
In "Caste" she examines and compares how caste has deeply impacted three different communities. The Untouchables in India, The Jews in Nazi Germany and the Black African in America. This is not a comfortable topic but, in my view, Wilkerson's clarity of presentation argues this book should be both an essential and an educational text for the widest possible audience. If we are truly to live as a collection of humans rather than a collection of castes we first need to recognise what caste is. This book certainly opened my eyes and - to quote Wilkerson - "A world without caste would set everyone free."  If you read only one book in 2020 this should be it!

In the light of the most recent examples of police brutality in the US and Black Lives Matter campaign, this is an important, eye-opening book and a wake up call. The argument of Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste, that social divisions in the US are more alike to the caste system in India (and the caste system Nazi regime imposed on Germany in the 1930s and 40s) than to a class system is not new. Wilkerson credits Allison Davis, largely forgotten African-American anthropologist as the “spiritual father in the understanding of caste in America” for his groundbreaking research conducted in early 1940s. What her own impressive research shows however, is just how deeply ingrained and systematic discrimination and oppression on the basis of the colour of one’s skin is in America today. While her arguments are passionate and admirably hopeful, I was left with unsettling thoughts and questions about the state of democracy in America as well as inequality in the wider world. 

A must read, highly recommended. My thanks to Penguin, Allen Lane and Netgalley for an opportunity to read Caste.

I ran a positive review of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites. I ran a positive review of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites. I ran a positive review of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites.

W O W. Caste blew my mind and I'm definitely going to purchase a copy for notation.
Previously upon hearing the word "caste" my brain would go to India. No longer is that is the case. I highly encourage anyone that is working on anti-racism learning. At times, reading Caste felt like a punch to the gut, but this is a deep dive into prejudice in hierarchical society - it should be expected.

A vital and devastating read, this is the ideal companion to Wilkerson’s ‘The Warmth of Other Suns’ which I previously reviewed. Where Warmth of Other Suns focused on the personal stories and heartbreak of Black people in America, Caste provides an even more in depth analysis and factual account of the discrimination and dehumanisation of Black people, as well as looking at the Indian caste system, and Nazi Germany. 
“Caste is the granting or withholding of respect, status, honor, attention, privileges, resources, benefit of the doubt, and human kindness to someone on the basis of their perceived rank or standing in the hierarchy.” 
It seems unimaginable to me that anyone could be treated so terribly due to the colour of their skin, or their family name, and yet here it is plainly laid out in front of us in an educated and confronting way. This does not make for an easy read - there were times I wanted to close my eyes and pretend these atrocities were fiction, but for us to make any positive change I think this is an absolutely necessary read.

Much like her previous book, The Warmth of Other Suns, Caste by Isabel Wilkerson is brilliantly written and fascinating. Her writing is wonderful and accessible. An excellent book.