While Dangers Gather

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While Dangers Gather

Author : William G. Howell
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 140084083X
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis While Dangers Gather by : William G. Howell

Download or read book While Dangers Gather written by William G. Howell and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-06-27 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly five hundred times in the past century, American presidents have deployed the nation's military abroad, on missions ranging from embassy evacuations to full-scale wars. The question of whether Congress has effectively limited the president's power to do so has generally met with a resounding "no." In While Dangers Gather, William Howell and Jon Pevehouse reach a very different conclusion. The authors--one an American politics scholar, the other an international relations scholar--provide the most comprehensive and compelling evidence to date on Congress's influence on presidential war powers. Their findings have profound implications for contemporary debates about war, presidential power, and Congress's constitutional obligations. While devoting special attention to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, this book systematically analyzes the last half-century of U.S. military policy. Among its conclusions: Presidents are systematically less likely to exercise military force when their partisan opponents retain control of Congress. The partisan composition of Congress, however, matters most for proposed deployments that are larger in size and directed at less strategically important locales. Moreover, congressional influence is often achieved not through bold legislative action but through public posturing--engaging the media, raising public concerns, and stirring domestic and international doubt about the United States' resolve to see a fight through to the end.

Going to Extremes

Author : Cass R. Sunstein
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199754128
Total Pages : 208 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis Going to Extremes by : Cass R. Sunstein

Download or read book Going to Extremes written by Cass R. Sunstein and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In Going to Extremes, renowned legal scholar and best-selling author Cass R. Sunstein offers startling insights into why and when people gravitate toward extremism."--Inside jacket.

Thinking About the Presidency

Author : William G. Howell
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691165688
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

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Book Synopsis Thinking About the Presidency by : William G. Howell

Download or read book Thinking About the Presidency written by William G. Howell and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2015-03-22 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the search for power defines the American presidential office All American presidents, past and present, have cared deeply about power—acquiring, protecting, and expanding it. While individual presidents obviously have other concerns, such as shaping policy or building a legacy, the primacy of power considerations—exacerbated by expectations of the presidency and the inadequacy of explicit powers in the Constitution—sets presidents apart from other political actors. Thinking about the Presidency explores presidents' preoccupation with power. Distinguished presidential scholar William Howell looks at the key aspects of executive power—political and constitutional origins, philosophical underpinnings, manifestations in contemporary political life, implications for political reform, and looming influences over the standards to which we hold those individuals elected to America's highest office. Howell shows that an appetite for power may not inform the original motivations of those who seek to become president. Rather, this need is built into the office of the presidency itself—and quickly takes hold of whoever bears the title of Chief Executive. In order to understand the modern presidency, and the degrees to which a president succeeds or fails, the acquisition, protection, and expansion of power in a president's political life must be recognized—in policy tools and legislative strategies, the posture taken before the American public, and the disregard shown to those who would counsel modesty and deference within the White House. Thinking about the Presidency assesses how the search for and defense of presidential powers informs nearly every decision made by the leader of the nation. In a new preface, Howell reflects on presidential power during the presidency of Barack Obama.

The Negro Motorist Green Book

Author : Victor H. Green
Publisher : Colchis Books
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 235 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis The Negro Motorist Green Book by : Victor H. Green

Download or read book The Negro Motorist Green Book written by Victor H. Green and published by Colchis Books. This book was released on with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Negro Motorist Green Book was a groundbreaking guide that provided African American travelers with crucial information on safe places to stay, eat, and visit during the era of segregation in the United States. This essential resource, originally published from 1936 to 1966, offered a lifeline to black motorists navigating a deeply divided nation, helping them avoid the dangers and indignities of racism on the road. More than just a travel guide, The Negro Motorist Green Book stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and resistance in the face of oppression, offering a poignant glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of the African American experience in the 20th century.

How Civil Wars Start

Author : Barbara F. Walter
Publisher : Crown
ISBN 13 : 0593137795
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (931 download)

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Book Synopsis How Civil Wars Start by : Barbara F. Walter

Download or read book How Civil Wars Start written by Barbara F. Walter and published by Crown. This book was released on 2022-01-11 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A leading political scientist examines the dramatic rise in violent extremism around the globe and sounds the alarm on the increasing likelihood of a second civil war in the United States “Required reading for anyone invested in preserving our 246-year experiment in self-government.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice) WINNER OF THE GLOBAL POLICY INSTITUTE AWARD • THE SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Financial Times, The Times (UK), Esquire, Prospect (UK) Political violence rips apart several towns in southwest Texas. A far-right militia plots to kidnap the governor of Michigan and try her for treason. An armed mob of Trump supporters and conspiracy theorists storms the U.S. Capitol. Are these isolated incidents? Or is this the start of something bigger? Barbara F. Walter has spent her career studying civil conflict in places like Iraq, Ukraine, and Sri Lanka, but now she has become increasingly worried about her own country. Perhaps surprisingly, both autocracies and healthy democracies are largely immune from civil war; it’s the countries in the middle ground that are most vulnerable. And this is where more and more countries, including the United States, are finding themselves today. Over the last two decades, the number of active civil wars around the world has almost doubled. Walter reveals the warning signs—where wars tend to start, who initiates them, what triggers them—and why some countries tip over into conflict while others remain stable. Drawing on the latest international research and lessons from over twenty countries, Walter identifies the crucial risk factors, from democratic backsliding to factionalization and the politics of resentment. A civil war today won’t look like America in the 1860s, Russia in the 1920s, or Spain in the 1930s. It will begin with sporadic acts of violence and terror, accelerated by social media. It will sneak up on us and leave us wondering how we could have been so blind. In this urgent and insightful book, Walter redefines civil war for a new age, providing the framework we need to confront the danger we now face—and the knowledge to stop it before it’s too late.

Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy

Author : William G. Howell
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022672882X
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy by : William G. Howell

Download or read book Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy written by William G. Howell and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-07-14 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To counter the threat America faces, two political scientists offer “clear constitutional solutions that break sharply with the conventional wisdom” (Steven Levitsky, New York Times–bestselling coauthor of How Democracies Die). Has American democracy’s long, ambitious run come to an end? Possibly yes. As William G. Howell and Terry M. Moe argue in this trenchant new analysis of modern politics, the United States faces a historic crisis that threatens our system of self-government—and if democracy is to be saved, the causes of the crisis must be understood and defused. The most visible cause is Donald Trump, who has used his presidency to attack the nation’s institutions and violate its democratic norms. Yet Trump is but a symptom of causes that run much deeper: social forces like globalization, automation, and immigration that for decades have generated economic harms and cultural anxieties that our government has been wholly ineffective at addressing. Millions of Americans have grown angry and disaffected, and populist appeals have found a receptive audience. These were the drivers of Trump’s dangerous presidency, and they’re still there for other populists to weaponize. What can be done? The disruptive forces of modernity cannot be stopped. The solution lies, instead, in having a government that can deal with them—which calls for aggressive new policies, but also for institutional reforms that enhance its capacity for effective action. The path to progress is filled with political obstacles, including an increasingly populist, anti-government Republican Party. It is hard to be optimistic. But if the challenge is to be met, we need reforms of the presidency itself—reforms that harness the promise of presidential power for effective government, but firmly protect against that power being put to anti-democratic ends.

Better Safe Than Sorry

Author : Michael Krepon
Publisher : Stanford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0804770980
Total Pages : 297 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (47 download)

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Book Synopsis Better Safe Than Sorry by : Michael Krepon

Download or read book Better Safe Than Sorry written by Michael Krepon and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2009-01-02 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2008, the iconic doomsday clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientistswas set at five minutes to midnight—two minutes closer to Armageddon than in 1962, when John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev went eyeball to eyeball over missiles in Cuba! We still live in an echo chamber of fear, after eight years in which the Bush administration and its harshest critics reinforced each other's worst fears about the Bomb. And yet, there have been no mushroom clouds or acts of nuclear terrorism since the Soviet Union dissolved, let alone since 9/11. Our worst fears still could be realized at any time, but Michael Krepon argues that the United States has never possessed more tools and capacity to reduce nuclear dangers than it does today - from containment and deterrence to diplomacy, military strength, and arms control. The bloated nuclear arsenals of the Cold War years have been greatly reduced, nuclear weapon testing has almost ended, and all but eight countries have pledged not to acquire the Bomb. Major powers have less use for the Bomb than at any time in the past. Thus, despite wars, crises, and Murphy's Law, the dark shadows cast by nuclear weapons can continue to recede. Krepon believes that positive trends can continue, even in the face of the twin threats of nuclear terrorism and proliferation that have been exacerbated by the Bush administration's pursuit of a war of choice in Iraq based on false assumptions. Krepon advocates a "back to basics" approach to reducing nuclear dangers, reversing the Bush administration's denigration of diplomacy, deterrence, containment, and arms control. As he sees it, "The United States has stumbled before, but America has also made it through hard times and rebounded. With wisdom, persistence, and luck, another dark passage can be successfully navigated."

Oman's Foreign Policy

Author : Majid Al-Khalili
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 0313352259
Total Pages : 196 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (133 download)

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Book Synopsis Oman's Foreign Policy by : Majid Al-Khalili

Download or read book Oman's Foreign Policy written by Majid Al-Khalili and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2009-05-19 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book in more than a decade to look systematically at the foundations and practices of Oman's foreign policy and its impact on the production and distribution of oil. An expert in the history of the Sultanate of Oman, Majid Al-Khalili provides new information and a fresh analysis of the lands bordering the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. Beginning with an examination the reign of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, as well as the sultanate's geography and how location has influenced its history, Oman's Foreign Policy: Foundation and Practice analyzes Oman's foreign relations from the early 20th century until the beginning of the 21st century, providing the background to recent events. Following an analysis of the sultanate's "renaissance" in the 1970s and 1980s, the book considers how Oman's foreign policy changed in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War. It also examines historic power rivalries in the region, as well as modern conflicts that now include Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The result is a comprehensive understanding of Oman's place in the Middle East—and its influence upon the world's changing power structure.

A World in Disarray

Author : Richard Haass
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0399562370
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (995 download)

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Book Synopsis A World in Disarray by : Richard Haass

Download or read book A World in Disarray written by Richard Haass and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-01-10 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A valuable primer on foreign policy: a primer that concerned citizens of all political persuasions—not to mention the president and his advisers—could benefit from reading." —The New York Times An examination of a world increasingly defined by disorder and a United States unable to shape the world in its image, from the president of the Council on Foreign Relations Things fall apart; the center cannot hold. The rules, policies, and institutions that have guided the world since World War II have largely run their course. Respect for sovereignty alone cannot uphold order in an age defined by global challenges from terrorism and the spread of nuclear weapons to climate change and cyberspace. Meanwhile, great power rivalry is returning. Weak states pose problems just as confounding as strong ones. The United States remains the world’s strongest country, but American foreign policy has at times made matters worse, both by what the U.S. has done and by what it has failed to do. The Middle East is in chaos, Asia is threatened by China’s rise and a reckless North Korea, and Europe, for decades the world’s most stable region, is now anything but. As Richard Haass explains, the election of Donald Trump and the unexpected vote for “Brexit” signals that many in modern democracies reject important aspects of globalization, including borders open to trade and immigrants. In A World in Disarray, Haass argues for an updated global operating system—call it world order 2.0—that reflects the reality that power is widely distributed and that borders count for less. One critical element of this adjustment will be adopting a new approach to sovereignty, one that embraces its obligations and responsibilities as well as its rights and protections. Haass also details how the U.S. should act towards China and Russia, as well as in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He suggests, too, what the country should do to address its dysfunctional politics, mounting debt, and the lack of agreement on the nature of its relationship with the world. A World in Disarray is a wise examination, one rich in history, of the current world, along with how we got here and what needs doing. Haass shows that the world cannot have stability or prosperity without the United States, but that the United States cannot be a force for global stability and prosperity without its politicians and citizens reaching a new understanding.

Deceit on the Road to War

Author : John M. Schuessler
Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 1501701614
Total Pages : 267 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Deceit on the Road to War by : John M. Schuessler

Download or read book Deceit on the Road to War written by John M. Schuessler and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2015-11-16 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Deceit on the Road to War, John M. Schuessler examines how U.S. presidents have deceived the American public about fundamental decisions of war and peace. Deception has been deliberate, he suggests, as presidents have sought to shift blame for war onto others in some cases and oversell its benefits in others. Such deceit is a natural outgrowth of the democratic process, in Schuessler's view, because elected leaders have powerful incentives to maximize domestic support for war and retain considerable ability to manipulate domestic audiences. They can exploit information and propaganda advantages to frame issues in misleading ways, cherry-pick supporting evidence, suppress damaging revelations, and otherwise skew the public debate to their benefit. These tactics are particularly effective before the outbreak of war, when the information gap between leaders and the public is greatest.When resorting to deception, leaders take a calculated risk that the outcome of war will be favorable, expecting the public to adopt a forgiving attitude after victory is secured. The three cases featured in the book—Franklin Roosevelt and World War II, Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War, and George W. Bush and the Iraq War—test these claims. Schuessler concludes that democracies are not as constrained in their ability to go to war as we might believe and that deception cannot be ruled out in all cases as contrary to the national interest.

Post-Ethical Society

Author : Douglas V. Porpora
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022606252X
Total Pages : 263 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (26 download)

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Book Synopsis Post-Ethical Society by : Douglas V. Porpora

Download or read book Post-Ethical Society written by Douglas V. Porpora and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2013-09-07 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We’ve all seen the images from Abu Ghraib: stress positions, US soldiers kneeling on the heads of prisoners, and dehumanizing pyramids formed from black-hooded bodies. We have watched officials elected to our highest offices defend enhanced interrogation in terms of efficacy and justify drone strikes in terms of retribution and deterrence. But the mainstream secular media rarely addresses the morality of these choices, leaving us to ask individually: Is this right? In this singular examination of the American discourse over war and torture, Douglas V. Porpora, Alexander Nikolaev, Julia Hagemann May, and Alexander Jenkins investigate the opinion pages of American newspapers, television commentary, and online discussion groups to offer the first empirical study of the national conversation about the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the revelations of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib a year later. Post-Ethical Society is not just another shot fired in the ongoing culture war between conservatives and liberals, but a pensive and ethically engaged reflection of America’s feelings about itself and our actions as a nation. And while many writers and commentators have opined about our moral place in the world, the vast amount of empirical data amassed in Post-Ethical Society sets it apart—and makes its findings that much more damning.

United States Congressional Serial Set, Serial No. 14752

Author : Council of Economic Advisers (U.S.)
Publisher : Government Printing Office
ISBN 13 : 9780160771217
Total Pages : 480 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (712 download)

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Book Synopsis United States Congressional Serial Set, Serial No. 14752 by : Council of Economic Advisers (U.S.)

Download or read book United States Congressional Serial Set, Serial No. 14752 written by Council of Economic Advisers (U.S.) and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 2002 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Serial Set contains the House and Senate Documents and the House and Senate Reports. This volume includes House Reports from 107th Congress, 2nd Session, 2002.

9/11 and the War on Terror

Author : Paul J. Springer
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 426 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (16 download)

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Book Synopsis 9/11 and the War on Terror by : Paul J. Springer

Download or read book 9/11 and the War on Terror written by Paul J. Springer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2016-10-03 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The attacks of September 11 and the resulting War on Terror have defined the first decade and a half of the 21st century. This text closely examines and analyzes the primary documents that provide the historical background of today's worldwide War on Terror. 9/11 and the War on Terror: A Documentary and Reference Guide provides readers with a rare opportunity to read and examine a variety of primary documents related to the September 11, 2001 attacks and the larger War on Terror—both in the United States and globally. Thematically organized into chapters, each document comes with an introduction and analysis written by an expert in the field that supplies the crucial historical background for the users of this title to learn about the complexities of the global War on Terror. This book showcases key primary documents that follow the trajectory of events of the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent War on Terror. Through the examination of various types of documents—such as speeches, diplomatic exchanges, military communications, and government reports—issued by opposing sides in the global conflict, readers will gain valuable insight into how these primary sources influenced the 21st-century world. Each primary source is prefaced by an introduction and followed by an analysis written by a scholar specializing in the field. The accompanying analyses enable readers to better gauge the role of diplomacy, military strategy, national security concerns, and ideological propaganda in the global War on Terror.

Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy since the Cold War

Author : Tom Lansford
Publisher : Scarecrow Press
ISBN 13 : 0810864320
Total Pages : 393 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (18 download)

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Book Synopsis Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy since the Cold War by : Tom Lansford

Download or read book Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy since the Cold War written by Tom Lansford and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2007-09-10 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The post-Cold War diplomacy of the United States evolved in stages that reflected changes in the international system. Through the 1990s, the nation's foreign affairs were marked by an evolution away from the post-World War II focus on security and superpower competition to a more multifaceted and nuanced series of policies that included economic concerns, social and cultural issues, and environmental matters. However, an escalating series of terrorist attacks that culminated in the 11 September 2001 strikes on New York and Washington, D.C. led to the reemergence of security as the main foreign policy issue for the United States. The subsequent American-led 'war on terror' mirrored the Cold War in its goals, and the administration of President George W. Bush endeavored to build a multinational counterterrorism coalition that paralleled the Western alliance of the bipolar era. The Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy Since the Cold War is a concise overview of the main figures, conflicts, events, and policies of the United States in the post-Cold War era. The study explores the main elements of U.S. foreign policy and the regional and international reaction to American policies from the presidency of George H. W. Bush to that of George W. Bush. Through its entries, the book analyzes the underlying themes of U.S. diplomacy and the new policies formulated and implemented in response to broad changes in global politics. The book includes a chronology of events from 1991 to 2007, an introduction that highlights important themes of the era, cross-referenced entries on significant topics, a detailed bibliography, and appendixes of major documents. The work is ideal for both public and academic libraries, the general public, or the specialist looking for a reference tool in this area.

Discourse, War and Terrorism

Author : Adam Hodges
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9789027227140
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (271 download)

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Book Synopsis Discourse, War and Terrorism by : Adam Hodges

Download or read book Discourse, War and Terrorism written by Adam Hodges and published by John Benjamins Publishing. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discourse since September 11, 2001 has constrained and shaped public discussion and debate surrounding terrorism worldwide. Social actors in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere employ the language of the war on terror to explain, react to, justify and understand a broad range of political, economic and social phenomena. Discourse, War and Terrorism explores the discursive production of identities, the shaping of ideologies, and the formation of collective understandings in response to 9/11 in the United States and around the world. At issue are how enemies are defined and identified, how political leaders and citizens react, and how members of societies understand their position in the world in relation to terrorism. Contributors to this volume represent diverse sub-fields involved in the critical study of language, including perspectives from sociocultural linguistics, communication, media, cultural and political studies.

The Reactionary Mind

Author : Corey Robin
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190692006
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis The Reactionary Mind by : Corey Robin

Download or read book The Reactionary Mind written by Corey Robin and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now updated to include Trump's election and the rise of global populism, Corey Robin's 'The Reactionary Mind' traces conservatism back to its roots in the reaction against the French Revolution.

Caste

Author : Isabel Wilkerson
Publisher : Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN 13 : 0593230272
Total Pages : 545 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (932 download)

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Book Synopsis Caste by : Isabel Wilkerson

Download or read book Caste written by Isabel Wilkerson and published by Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book was released on 2023-02-14 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • “An instant American classic and almost certainly the keynote nonfiction book of the American century thus far.”—Dwight Garner, The New York Times The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions—now with a new Afterword by the author. #1 NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, O: The Oprah Magazine, NPR, Bloomberg, The Christian Science Monitor, New York Post, The New York Public Library, Fortune, Smithsonian Magazine, Marie Claire, Slate, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews Winner of the Carl Sandberg Literary Award • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • National Book Award Longlist • National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist • Dayton Literary Peace Prize Finalist • PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Finalist • PEN/Jean Stein Book Award Longlist • Kirkus Prize Finalist “As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.” In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched, and beautifully written narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings. 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, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their outcasting of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity. Original and revealing, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today.