Caste: The Origins of our Discontents, was published in August 2020 to critical acclaim and became a Number 1 New York Times bestseller. Dwight Garner of The New York Times called it, “An instant American classic and almost certainly the keynote nonfiction book of the American century thus far.” Oprah Winfrey chose it as her 2020 Summer/Fall book club selection, declaring it “the most important book” she had ever selected.
Wilkerson won the Pulitzer Prize for her deeply humane narrative writing while serving as Chicago Bureau Chief of The New York Times in 1994, making her the first black woman in the history of American journalism to win a Pulitzer Prize and the first African American to win for individual reporting. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded Wilkerson the National Humanities Medal for “championing the stories of an unsung history.” Penguin Random House
NOVEMBER to MARCH
WELLESLEY COMMUNITY MEMBERS
- Commit to reading the book by signing up; you can request a free copy if you’d like
- Invite your student(s), family into the community read by checking out this list of companion books for all ages
- Consider signing up to facilitate a book club
- Copies of the book can also be borrowed from the Wellesley Free Library or Boston Public Library
- Copies of the book can be purchased at the following vendors:
- Frugal Bookstore – 57 Warren St. Roxbury, MA 02119
- Wellesley Books – 82 Central St. Wellesley, MA 02482
ALL LEADERS AND PARTICIPANTS
Community Read events will open up on Sched (Sched is an event scheduler platform; links will be provided to all participants who commit to reading the book by signing up).
On Sched you will be able to sign up to attend events that connect to the themes of the book. For example: Caste addresses the impact of racism; we are aiming to hold a workshop about healing from racial trauma.
MARCH 10, 2022, 6:15-7:30 PM
- WILKERSON WILL SPEAK TO THE WELLESLEY COMMUNITY IN A VIRTUAL WEBINAR
Participation is limited to the first 500 registered participants; registration will open late January.
The webinar will be facilitated by Dr. Regine Michelle Jean-Charles, Director of Northeastern University’s Department of Africana Studies, and Dean’s Professor of Culture and Social Justice, and Professor of Africana Studies and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Wellesley Public Schools | Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | www.wellesleyps.org/dei