“If you want to understand why American democracy feels so unstable, The Price of Union is required reading. Kelly Burton shows that today’s crisis is not new, sudden, or accidental. It is the predictable result of racial bargains that were never resolved, only deferred. This book names that truth plainly.”
—Bakari Sellers, two-time New York Times bestselling author, CNN political commentator, and attorney

“In this book, Kelly Burton demonstrates prophetic conviction and insight. The Price of Union cracks open American myths that we tell ourselves about our innate goodness and enlightened virtue. Until we reckon with our collective shadow, both our religion and politics will be incapable of self-criticism and will continue to serve and protect the powerful few at the top.”
—Father Richard Rohr, Franciscan friar, teacher, author, and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation

“I love this book! The Price of Union is the kind of work that politely walks you into the room, then locks the door behind you. It’s for anyone who has ever side-eyed American history and thought ‘the math ain’t mathing.’ Kelly Burton doesn’t just challenge the traditional narrative of America; she performs a forensic audit in real time. Bold and dangerous in the best way, this book quietly rearranges the reader’s worldview. It tells the truth with style and without apology . . . just like Kelly Burton.”
—Erika Alexander, actress, writer, director, and activist

“Many books offer new information about your country’s history, but few books help you see your country’s history in a new light. That’s what Kelly Burton does in The Price of Union. The book presents an argument rich with detail born of first-rate research, but it reads with a sense of novelistic unfolding as our national family secret is exposed. In light of that secret, both our past and present become visible in a new light, and we feel more deeply the challenge we face going forward.”
—Brian D. McLaren, author of Life After Doom and The Last Voyage

“In The Price of Union, Kelly Burton holds up a mirror to our nation’s evolution, from America’s founding to the present day. She helps us understand that caste and whiteness—the assumption of pre-ordained white privilege—have been built into the American system from the beginning. Through clear analysis and skilled storytelling, Burton deftly brings to the forefront America’s shadow past—a past we must all reckon with if we are to realize a more perfect union.”
—John Kania, founder and executive director, Collective Change Lab; coauthor of the seminal Stanford Social Innovation Review article “Collective Impact”

“Dr. Kelly Burton gives us the framework this moment demands. America’s problem was never democracy; it was always caste. Whiteness is not a heritage; it is a control mechanism. Racism is not the reason; it is the justification. The Price of Union delivers the paradigm shift we need to finally see racism for what it truly is. She doesn’t just tell that story; she proves it.”
—LaTosha Brown, cofounder, Black Voters Matter, and political strategist and organizer