Niecy Nash Betts

In this book, Isabel Wilkerson argues that racism in the United States is part of a broader caste system—a society-wide system of social stratification characterized by hierarchy, inclusion, and exclusion. She defines eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, heredity, and dehumanization. Wilkerson uses historical documentation, insightful analogies, and powerful anecdotes to illustrate how this caste system permeates American society, affecting people's lives and behavior. The book also explores the consequences of caste and the possibility of a world without it, emphasizing the need for collective effort to dismantle such systems.