It's a Numbers Game: The Numbers Behind Diversity in Medicine with Heather Mac Donald

Richard Kahlenberg's "Class Matters" challenges the traditional approach to affirmative action, arguing that a class-based system is more effective and equitable. The book delves into the history of affirmative action, highlighting the debates and competing visions that shaped its implementation. Kahlenberg presents compelling evidence demonstrating how race-based affirmative action disproportionately benefits privileged minority students, while neglecting those from disadvantaged backgrounds across all races. He proposes a class-based alternative that addresses economic inequality and promotes genuine diversity. The book offers a nuanced perspective on the complexities of affirmative action, advocating for a system that prioritizes socioeconomic factors to create a more inclusive society.

Demon Copperhead is a powerful and emotionally engaging novel that tells the story of Damon Fields, a boy born to a teenage single mother in a trailer home in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. The novel, inspired by Charles Dickens' 'David Copperfield', follows Demon's journey through the challenges of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, and disastrous loves. Kingsolver vividly portrays the opioid epidemic's impact on rural communities and explores themes of love, survival, and the transformative power of storytelling. The narrative is delivered through Demon's unsparing and authentic voice, which brings to life the harsh realities and the resilience of the people in Appalachia.

In this book, Heather Mac Donald argues that the current emphasis on achieving racial proportionality in various institutions is leading to a decline in excellence and an erosion of civilizational achievements. She contends that racial disparities are more accurately explained by academic skills gaps and differences in criminal offending rather than systemic racism. The book critiques the 'disparate impact' legal theory and its effects on fields such as medical school admissions, scientific research grants, and law enforcement, arguing that these changes threaten lives and civilizational progress.