A #1 New York Times Bestseller
An Oprah's Book Club Pick
National Book Award Longlisted
Longlisted For The Pen/Jean Stein Book Award and the Pen/John Kenneth Galbraith Award For Nonfiction
An O: The Oprah Magazine Best Book of the Year
A Time Magazine #1 Nonfiction Book of the Year
A People #1 Nonfiction Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly 10 Best Books of the Year
A Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Washington Post 10 Best Books of the Year
Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people's lives and behavior and the nation's fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Isabel Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations. Using riveting stories about people, she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. Wilkerson explores how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by this hidden caste system and points to ways America can move toward hope in our common humanity.