Review: The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee My rating: 5 of 5 stars McGhee's book is the MUST-RECOMMEND that all of us carry and place into the hands of folks who just do not understand the central and insidious ways that racism informs nearly all cornerstones of society. She sets out to do two things in her book that are both powerful and interwoven to reinforce each element. The first is that she shows how racist ideas permeate so many parts of American culture from the law, civil society, social contract, education, religion, community, housing, healthcare, and so much more. She provides historical context to show how certain ideas (in particular, the never-ending emphasis on the individual, the disembodied "government", and the emphasis on personal property over human life), came into creation and were (often, intentionally) framed to invoke racism without ever having to dire