The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

Available
4.9/5.0
21,000+ Reviews
Bookshop.org has the highest-rated customer service of any bookstore in the world
Product Details
Price
$30.00  $27.90
Publisher
One World
Publish Date
Pages
448
Dimensions
6.1 X 9.3 X 1.5 inches | 1.7 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9780525509561

Earn by promoting books

Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.

Become an affiliate
About the Author
Heather McGhee is an expert in economic and social policy. The former president of the inequality-focused think tank Demos, McGhee has drafted legislation, testified before Congress, and contributed regularly to news shows including NBC's Meet the Press. She now chairs the board of Color of Change, the nation's largest online racial justice organization. McGhee holds a BA in American studies from Yale University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.
Reviews
"A book for every American."--Elizabeth Gilbert

"Illuminating and hopeful . . . McGhee isn't a stinging polemicist; she cajoles instead of ridicules. She appeals to concrete self-interest in order to show how our fortunes are tied up with the fortunes of others. 'We suffer because our society was raised deficient in social solidarity, ' she writes, explaining that this idea is 'true to my optimistic nature.' She is compassionate but also clear-eyed, refusing to downplay the horrors of racism. . . . There is a striking clarity to this book; there is also a depth of kindness in it that all but the most churlish readers will find moving."--Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

"One of the most fascinating things about The Sum of Us is how it challenges the assumptions of both white antiracism activists and progressives who just want to talk about class."--The New York Times, "The Book That Should Change How Progressives Talk About Race"

"Required reading to move the country forward . . . Every so often a book comes along that seems perfectly timed to the moment and has the potential to radically shift our cultural conversation. [The Sum of Us] is one of those books. . . . It is a sometimes angry or frustrated book, rooted in McGhee's long career at Demos trying and mostly failing to secure legislation that would benefit the public. But in the end, it's a hopeful book because McGhee's vision is so clear and so convincing."--Chicago Tribune

"If everyone in America read this book, we'd be, not only a more just country, but a more powerful, successful, and loving one. A vital, urgent, stirring, beautifully written book that offers a compassionate roadmap out of our present troubled moment."--George Saunders, New York Times bestselling and Booker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo

"Supported by remarkable data-driven research and thoughtful interviews with those directly affected by these issues, McGhee paints a powerful picture of the societal shortfalls all around us. There is a greater, more just America available to us, and McGhee brings its potential to light."--BookPage

"[McGhee] takes readers on an intimate odyssey across our country's racial divide to explore why some believe that progress for some comes at the expense of others. Along the way, McGhee speaks with white people who confide in her about losing jobs, homes, and hope, and considers white supremacy's collateral victims. Ultimately, McGhee--a Black woman viewing multiracial America with startling empathy--finds proof of what she terms the Solidarity Dividend: the momentous benefits that derive when people come together across race. A powerful, singular, and prescriptive blend of the macro and the intimate."--O: The Oprah Magazine