This book was tough. The compelling argument it makes about the existence of a new caste system starts in the first chapter and continues to the end of the book. Just saying things are bad would be an understatement, but the book kind of assumes that I as a reader do not believe race is an issue. However, race is a huge issue. Countless police shooting videos, not to mention the decreasing number of minorities in my hometown, have already made the caste system a concern for me. This book did come before a lot of the videos and speeches, so maybe it really started things. But still, it felt a bit too heavy. Just to be clear, race is a huge issue.
The book did not mention good ways to do anything to solve these problems. I suspect the author omitted solutions because the caste system is so entrenched that any changes would look something like a revolution. The author probably doesn't want to be dismissed as a radical, and it is clear her focus is on presenting the existence of a caste system to non-believers. The effect is that the author comes off as a bit of a close minded nationalist. Other countries are rarely mentioned, other caste systems throughout history are rarely referenced. Other cultures, deplorably, have caste systems. How were they created or destroyed? I know that is beyond the scope of this book, but I think that was a mistake. It would have been interesting and illuminating.
The author knocks lawyers for focusing on problems that laywers can solve. This takes issues of racism out of the court of public opinion and into legalese. Essentially, it become an elite issue, rather than a unifying one. I don't think the author is wrong, but this phenomenon happens with the scholars so heavily quoted throughout the book. Scholars have axes to grind, too, and they have proclivities that they seek out opportunities for. They have the power to rank and select these opportunities, so there must be gaps or biases in their research or results. All of us are subject to trends.
One senses the author is aware of these constraints which support her main argument, the existence of a caste system. Later on she mentions her own position may be due to affirmative action. Perhaps even more important, the impetus for the book came from a flyer for a neighborhood meeting, rather than from one of her peers in academia or the social justice movements. The most telling arch is about spiritual ignorance. I imagine this is the section of the book that serves as a plea to action, and it carefully avoids calls to violence or contempt for the powers that be. Yet, the author fails to examine her own sources through the lens of spiritual ignorance. Yes, that isn't the scope of the book, and the author probably did do this on a subconscious level at least, but the inclusion of that material would have bolstered her case for the existence of a caste system.
The author occasionally uses 'us' and 'we' in ways that make me uncomfortable. I cannot tell if she means them to be exclusionary or inclusive, yet I can't see a benefit in the inconsistent use of these pronouns. If she is so American, does she not own the problems she describes? Maybe I'm just grumpy. The book was gloomy in part because it was real. The stories of peoples' lives thrown away.
This book is a success, but the last weakness I want to talk about is the narrative of American individualism. I probably should quote from the book to make my case, but the sense I'm trying describe is more emotional than rational. One gets the feeling that I as a reader just need to try harder. My own personal sentiment is different, that leadership is intentionally dividing and separating us to exploit us. The author mention this divide and conquer strategy in terms of social class and race, but I think it goes beyond that. The trouble is that the author is in the higher class and can't quite see the big picture from the bottom up, much as she would like to. Then again, I have my own limited perspective, biases, and axes to grind. Maybe it is my outlook that comes up short.
This book does a good job of presenting the caste system. The scholarship is excellent, with sources that include stories. It does not feel like a list. I don't read it as a set of bullet points that has been fleshed out with quotes and text. It flows well from segment to segment. All the anguish seems to be for nothing, because no solutions are offered. I am looking forward to reading something a bit lighter after having read this.
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