As someone who has not read the adult version of Caste, I found this to be very informative. The connection between these three times in history makes logical sense. However, some pieces of the text felt disjointed, but I'm not sure if that's because it was an adaptation, or if the original is like that.

I did not have time to download and read this book before it was archived, so I'm unable to leave a review.

Really really remarkable and thought-provoking. I'm actually glad I started with the young adult version, because it's meaty and dense and I needed time to work through it.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the Advanced Readers copy of this book.

I was so excited to see a young adult adaption of Caste and eagerly started this book when I received it nearly a year ago. However, I found this adaptation to not take into account the vocabulary and the context needed for a young adult reader to understand the many complex topics, events, and people introduced in this text. For this text to be adapted for young adults vocabulary needs to be defined in language a young adult reader can grasp without support. Historical context needs to be provided throughout the text to help the young adult reader see the bigger picture. I enjoyed this book immensely but would only be able to use portions of the text with my students.

Caste is one of those books that will leave you thinking and in complete meditation for days, analyzing and thinking about what is wrong with this world or better said what is wrong with people in general, for me is incomprehensible to have such a mentality of separation and segregation.

I Didn't Know racism or the word Racism until I started living in the US, such a term was not even on my radar or my culture or even while I was growing up, my parents didn't teach me separation or segregation, my parents taught me we were all the same, the soul doesn't have age, sex, gender or any other labels humans are so kin to use in order to feel more than the others.

Caste is the story of how all this started, how the Nazis used racism and separation from the US so successfully with their own citizens, this was a shock to release how they took the model from a country that always presumed to be inclusive and built by immigrants but at the same time, they didn't like and accept immigrants like we all "think" it is only a portrait to look like a very advance nation but it is not.

We haven't learned anything from the past we keep making the same mistakes over and over again, especially people in power who always decided and make rules thinking about what is "best" for the people when on the contrary all that they crave and want is power even if that meant to hide your heritage and become someone. 2023 and we still going through the same mistake because they have a filter in their eyes wanting to look only at a white nation, what a boring, ignorant insecure mentality.

I cry so much with this book, it really made me weep reading so many terrible injustices, stories of people being intimidated, hurt, and even kill for the color of their skin pure ignorance of people who supposedly are the head of the country, the head of the most racist country in the story of this world, what a shame.

Caste is a book that taught me so much, made me feel so much, made me realize so much, and made me think and grow so much. A book that I will share with everyone around and that needs to be heard and shared as much as we can.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, for the advanced copy of Caste in exchange for my honest review.

A comprehensive and well-written adaptation of Caste for young readers. Makes the subject matter very accessible for a younger audience.

This young adult version of Wilkerson's bestselling work, Caste, is a paired down version of her work made accessible for youth, or adults more likely to read an edited version. Wilkerson describes the hidden caste system in the U.S., a caste system about power and those who have it and do not. Tracing other historical caste systems such as Nazi Germany, Wilkerson shows readers how perpetuating the system dehumanizes mass amounts of people, and what we can do to change that.

This is a highly recommended read for those who care about justice and creating a better country for everyone.

Isabel Wilkerson has outdone herself with this book. Rich, insightful, intelligent, uncomfortable, Caste takes on the idea that the US has a caste system of race. This adaptation for Young Adults is excellent at not being too overbearing with information but also not belittling the intelligence of a young adult. Wilkerson gets her points across with anecdotal evidence and stories that create amazing parallels to the caste system that the US has created.

CASTE by Isabel Wilkerson (The Warmth of Other Suns) was a 2020 adult non-fiction bestseller and has just been released in an adaptation for Young Adults. Citing examples from America, India, and even the Nazis, Wilkerson explores the concept of caste and its relation to race: "neither synonymous nor mutually exclusive.... Caste is the bones, race the skin. Race is what we can see, the physical traits that have been given arbitrary meaning and become shorthand for who a person is. Caste is the powerful infrastructure that holds each group in its place." A significant portion of the book highlights what Wilkerson terms the eight pillars of caste, including religion, heritability, marriage, and stigma. The tome is rather academic and even this version will be a challenge for most high school students. However, the text is filled with observations and assertions that could serve as discussion or essay prompts; here is one short example: "The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power – which groups have it and which do not. It is about resources – which caste is seen as worthy of them and which are not, who gets to acquire and control them and who does not. It is about respect, authority, and assumptions of competence – who is accorded those and who is not." The preview I saw did not contain any bibliographic notes or an index (shown in amazon’s look inside preview) both of which would be useful to student researchers. For those interested in other related adaptations for young readers, see The Burning and Me and White Supremacy. Heather McGhee's The Sum of Us is scheduled to have an adaptation for young readers available in February, 2023.

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book, an adaptation for young adults. Also, I haven’t read the original, so these are just my thoughts on this adaptation as a book for young adults.

I had only ever been familiar with the word caste in terms of the people who live in India, born into a place in the social order. It was astounding to me, then, to read Wilkerson’s argument in Caste — Adapted for Young Adults (Delacourt Press, 2022) that not only do caste systems still exist but that a unique caste system is alive and well in the United States right now. Caste, to Wilkerson, is about more than race and social class. It is about power and control. Wilkerson compares three types of caste systems through history: the caste system in India, the Nazi’s caste system rapidly created between the world wars, and the caste system in the United States.

I feel like Caste should be read by everyone in the United States. It ties together some of the problems of our society into our past and shows how our own attitudes can make a difference. Wilkerson ends her book with a few personal anecdotes. The last is about how she helped make an uncomfortable situation (possibly racially motivated) into a comfortable one. It was by conversing, being personable, and simply talking. We are each a person and we have conversations. That doesn't solve the issue but conversation, compassion, and understanding are the beginning and only way toward a "caste-less" society.

We live in a very divided society, and Caste is heavy-hitting. I do believe it is young adult appropriate (I’d suggest ages 16+). Younger readers may have a hard time getting into the beginning of the book, but the individual chapters are short and the many anecdotes round it out. Some content mentions include lynchings and other violent behavior, sexual relations between slaves and their masters, and Nazi Party leadership meetings. These things are disturbing. History is painful.

And so, of course, not every young adult or adult will read this book. But maybe you, whoever you are reading this review, will give it a chance. Understanding race, class, and caste is not always black and white. And we can all, always, use another perspective.

Full review on my blog: https://reviews.rebeccareid.com/caste-young-adults-isabel-wilkerson/

I read the original Caste in 2020 and rated it 5 stars. It's brilliant and I think everyone (including a YA audience) should read it. It is so well researched and interesting and a great insight into the slave history and Jim Crow era of the United States, while also reflecting on Nazi Germany and the Caste system of India.

That being said, when reading this book I noticed it sounded exactly the same as the regular, adult version. I even got out my original copy to cross reference and the book is almost exactly VERBATIM the same book, with just a few omissions and changes. Even the acknowledgements are verbatim the same. I don't know what I was expecting, but I guess I thought the YA version would have the language a bit rewritten and slimmed down to make the material more approachable for a younger audience? Why not make it simpler and add more engaging things into it? Apart from a nice new cover design that might be more appealing to a younger reader than the more adult one of the original, I don't know why a YA reader should buy this version over just reading the original book because it's basically the same book. Which is a shame because I know a lot of people who find nonfiction unapproachable, and I thought a YA adaptation would be a great way for this book to be more approachable to more people, but it's not really any different.

So as for my rating, I give the original book and material a 5/5, but for an adaptation a 1/5 because it's not really an adaptation in my opinion.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

I will preface this with saying I haven't read the Origins of Caste (what this is adapted on), so I can't compare it between the two; however, I did find this extremely enlightening and informative. While it does discuss race as a primary method of caste, it is also an intersectional approach (and a global one with comparisons). I learned new information, and it was refreshing to see intersectionality in a text.

Although I haven't read the original version, I'm not sure I would classify this as for young adults. I struggled at some areas to comprehend what was being discussed, and I had to go back and reread things multiple times. I also think the young adults in question would also need some necessary background knowledge and context.

Overall though, I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Caste tells the history of the division between racial and class divides. This is important information for anyone to read. Despite years of caste systems being a controlling divide amongst people, this is still an issue we face today. Moreover, it appears to only be getting stronger and more divisive. Whether it’s a core belief passed down through generations, or an unconscious bias, the hierarchy of social classes is harmful and detrimental to society.

All that being said, this book is supposed to be adapted for Young Adult readers. I found the information still quite dense and difficult. Although I’m sure some would find it interesting, I don’t really see the format of this book to be attractive to a broader group of young readers. I think it’s important to teach to them, but maybe there’s a better way to serve the information.

This was difficult to read and not a 'sit down and read for fun' type of book. With that being said, it should be required reading for every young adult. I really appreciated this version because I could not focus enough to read the original version, so thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this easier-to-read ARC.

Caste itself is an excellent book, but I think this one misses the mark in being a young adult adaptation. It reads much like one of my grad school textbooks - which in itself isn't a bad thing, but I believe the marketing reads incorrectly. In my opinion, if a high schooler were at the reading comprehension and research skills level to be reading this book, they may as well read the original. I would've preferred to have seen it as a middle grade version like Stamped.

I differ from reviewers who've concluded this young adult adaptation of Isabel's Wilkerson's Caste is too adult for the audience. I think it's entirely a matter of the student's age, maturity, interest, and reading ability. While not suitable for 8th graders, for instance, it's a terrific adaptation for high-school students who are solid readers and interested in the subject matter. .Those young adults will find Wilkerson's lively writing clear and her thesis carefully and accessibly developed, with numerous avenues for further learning and discovery. This book will be a valuable addition to my high school media center. Can't wait for it to be published so we can order a copy.

Wilkerson is a great writer, with some very striking imagery (seeing caste as a flashlight cast down aisles directing people to their seats). There's a strong message here, but I think a book like this needs some more deliberate adaption for younger readers. In describing caste and its components, younger readers may need more concrete examples. I think including graphics would definitely help in a book like this (for instance, the description of the Nazi photo should accompanied by the actual photo; a graphic organizer of how the caste system is organized would be beneficial).
Some of the chapters I think would be hard for young readers to follow. The book jumps from racism and personal reflection to history. Readers would need more context of the caste system than what the book provides.
The section on pillars would work easier for readers, it is hard for students to shift with little background to discussion Ancient India. Then again, why not begin with this?
The strongest chapter, and example of how this can be done well is on the US and Nazi connection. It is clear and concise, and provides historical background knowledge.
While Wilkerson's personal reflections weave a good narrative, I question when writers use their own experiences as historical evidence, especially in something as theoretical as this.
While the book has a lot of potential, I think the editing misses the mark here.

I’m not exactly sure how this book was adapted for a younger audience. It presented tough topics in the same manner it did in the “adult” version. If you are looking for a child friendly version to help foster discussions on race, class, or power this is not the one. The vocabulary used and the overall way it is presented almost kills the reader’s desire to keep reading. Isabel Wilkerson definitely missed the ball on this adaptation.

Ah well, this is an example of how books are looking for a wider range of audience or a money grab and are re-packaging them as adapted for young adults. This is one that *barely* repackages itself for the intended audience and doesn't do much if anything to adjust for the intended audience. The vocabulary and concepts are still the adult ones that aren't changed and altered for understanding for a younger audience and I liked, like four stars liked, the original. I would give the original to my high school students, and not buy this adaptation in the way I wouldn't do it for [book:Notes from a Young Black Chef|40645634] and [book:Becoming|38746485] and [book:The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons and an Unlikely Road to Manhood|2784926].

This is not an easy book to read. It describes caste systems, which are reinforced by dehumanizing a group, whether in Nazi Germany, India, or America. Wilkerson states, “The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not. It is about resources—which caste is seen as worthy of them and which are not, who gets to acquire and control them and who does not. It is about respect, authority, and assumptions of competence—who is accorded these and who is not.” This book is a version adapted for young adults, and I hope many will have the opportunity to read it, since “a world without caste would set everyone free.” Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.