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

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

Author: Heather McGhee

“This is the book I’ve been waiting for.”—Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist

Heather McGhee’s specialty is the American economy—and the mystery of why it so often fails the American public. From the financial crisis to rising student debt to collapsing public infrastructure, she found a common root problem: racism. But not just in the most obvious indignities for people of color. Racism has costs for white people, too. It is the common denominator of our most vexing public problems, the core dysfunction of our democracy and constitutive of the spiritual and moral crises that grip us all. But how did this happen? And is there a way out?

McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country from Maine to Mississippi to California, tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm—the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others. Along the way, she meets white people who confide in her about losing their homes, their dreams, and their shot at better jobs to the toxic mix of American racism and greed. This is the story of how public goods in this country—from parks and pools to functioning schools—have become private luxuries; of how unions collapsed, wages stagnated, and inequality increased; and of how this country, unique among the world’s advanced economies, has thwarted universal healthcare.

But in unlikely places of worship and work, McGhee finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: gains that come when people come together across race, to accomplish what we simply can’t do on our own.

The Sum of Us is a brilliant analysis of how we arrived here: divided and self-destructing, materially rich but spiritually starved and vastly unequal. McGhee marshals economic and sociological research to paint an irrefutable story of racism’s costs, but at the heart of the book are the humble stories of people yearning to be part of a better America, including white supremacy’s collateral victims: white people themselves. With startling empathy, this heartfelt message from a Black woman to a multiracial America leaves us with a new vision for a future in which we finally realize that life can be more than a zero-sum game.

[highlight color=”green”]Goodreads users review :[/highlight]

Gosh, I learned so much from this book. Everyone–no matter your race, creed, religion–loses when we allow prejudice to overtake us. Thank you, McGhee, for explaining how historical policies and legislation have led to us to a place where we don’t even understand what is helping and hurting us anymore. This book was challenging, difficult at times to read, but oh so important. I would highly encourage you to give it a read or listen. My_Strange_Reading                                                                               rated it: 5.0 from 5.0

Definitely a 5 star book. This book brilliantly explains so much of our shared history, in ways that opened my eyes to new interpretations. McGhee’s fundamental premise is that we ALL get farther ahead and ALL benefit by supporting each other. And that shows me that white support of black businesses is something we can all do. There are at least two black owned bookstores in Kansas City, which I am interested in supporting. Anyway, this was an excellent book! Maureen Grigsby                                                                                     rated it: 5.0 from 5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Easily readable, but not sacrificing depth or journalism. Heather covers a wide range of topics to show the thread of racism that weaves throughout the history of America and our deepest roots. The five principles for prospering together and heartwarming stories of true progress against insurmountable odds deliver hope in these pages that America’s experiment at democracy can still lead to equitable, better outcomes for everyone who calls it home. Joe                                                                                                        rated it: 5.0 from 5.0