Shannon Cobb

We are, all of us, on the path, as it is. We did not forge the path in this country, are not responsible as Wilkerson intones toward the end of her compelling and beautifully written tome. But we are all on the path. All of our existence is mostly construct. For sure, our ideas and the ideas that permeate across epochs are fabricated. We do need to choose the challenges we face and the manner in which we face them. It was Steinbeck who said there is only one story in the world, the story of good vs. evil. Wilkerson never mentions him or East of Eden, but the idea of Timshel and the idea that we as a species and as importantly, we as individuals can choose to be good or evil permeates both her book and its conclusive call to rise. Caste met me at just the right bend in the path. I will carry the engine of its insight and brilliance of its call with me across the next several decades of my life. I hope others can embrace Kendi's Anti-Racism and couple it with with Wilkerson's Radical Empathy to forge novel and better paths forward... to ensure the longevity of this social experiment (founded on nightmarish principles in the guise of something worthy of reverence) and to ensure greater social justice for all of us so we might thrive. If you do not want to grow or change your perception, if you are beholden to fairy tales about patriotism and what America stands for, I suggest you read other books first before this one. It is frank and poignant and intuitive in its nuanced and subtle theses. It has more than one thesis. Fortunately, the 1 star reviews by myopic troglodytes choose to disagree with only her most obvious thesis, which is also spot on correct. Best book on race/caste I have read, and I have read quite a few.