Caste

The Origins of Our Discontents

From one of America's most celebrated writers, the moving, eye-opening bestseller about power, history and what lies hidden under the surface of ordinary lives

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

In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how the country has been shaped by a hidden caste system.

Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people — including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball's Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others — she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day.