Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is absolutely outstanding and, in my opinion, should be read by every adult and teenager in America and India. I am so incredibly thankful the Courageous Conversations group at my church chose to read and discuss it because there was just So Much to think about and absorb, it really helped to have a group of people to share in the experience. Isabel Wilkerson is a phenomenal writer--taking horrendously heavy subject material and making it so readable and accessible. Her research is detailed and very thorough. I learned SO much. I had no idea just how much I, a very well-educated white woman, did NOT know about US history! My knowledge turns out to have been just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. It will take me a while to digest and process everything I learned from this book, but I am even more determined to do whatever I can to disrupt the caste system in this country whenever and however I can make a difference.

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Delivery Bear

Delivery Bear by Laura Gehl
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this one. On the surface, it's a super cute story of a bear who's always wanted to deliver things for a living, and one day he gets the chance to do his dream job. Except, because he's a bear and not a bunny, he has to talk the manager into giving him a chance, and then he ends up scaring the customers because, you know, he's a big bear. He tries to make himself look more like a bunny so he won't scare people, but it doesn't work, and then finally he remembers to be proud of who he is and instead starts singing a song of his own creation to let the other animals know he means them no harm. This works, and he succeeds.

In the context of the animal world, it's delightful and makes perfect sense. He's a big bear, and the other animals would normally be prey or at least in danger, so their fear is completely logical. He does what's necessary to solve that situation.

However. When you look at the allegorical overtones, that's when things get icky. I am unsettled by the inherent prejudice of the manager telling Zogby that he doesn't "have the Fluffy Tail Cookies look." I am unsettled by the concept of Zogby trying to change himself in order to fit in or make others accept him, although we all do this to a certain extent. It makes me think of African Americans having to "act white" in order to seem less threatening to the white people in charge.

I do appreciate the message of being who you are because who you are is inherently special, though. And it's good that Zogby does break down the employment barriers, thanks to customers calling to praise him.

My daughter picked this book out from the library, and we read it once or twice. The overtones that unsettled me went right over my daughter's head, which is good. I'm not sure I'd want to keep reading it to her without also having a conversation about these troubling issues, however, and she's still a little too young to really comprehend, so this book is going back to the library.

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