Book Review Assignment

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents – Book Review Author’s Name The Institutional Affiliation Course Number and Name Instructor Name Assignment Due Date Bibliographic Entry: Wilkerson, Isabel. Caste: The origins of our discontents. New York: Random House, 2020. Introduction Isabel Wilkerson (Wilkerson) wrote a popular book in 2020 about the systematic caste system and inequality in the United States of America (US). The book focuses on social issues and hierarchy functions American culture fosters through the caste system, creating an inherited trait distance among people. Wilkerson argued that the American caste system differentiates social treatment for individuals from underprivileged groups. As Wilkerson quoted, “The world’s oldest and most powerful democracy was in spasms” (Wilkerson, p. 4). Wilkerson used the thesis to compare the American caste system through worldview by comparing it with Indian and German cultures. The book focuses on injustice and discriminatory practices in modern American culture, influencing long-term social dynamics in the West. This book review will examine Wilkerson’s work in evaluating the American caste system and social justice. The book review will focus on Wilkerson’s thesis supported by academic insights and personal reflection. The book is a masterpiece for evaluating America’s social hierarchy and cultural practices compared to Indian cast structures and Nazi Germany. Discussion Wilkerson’s thesis criticized the American caste system in modern society. Wilkerson argued that the caste system manifests discrimination, racism, and prejudices through artificial hierarchies (Wilkerson, 17). Wilkerson discussed eight fundamental pillars, such as occupational hierarchy, dehumanization, and terror as enforcement. Wilkerson believed that the eight pillars are invisible manifestations of the American caste system, creating social division, cruelty, and inequity for collectiv...