Tag: sociology

Let the People Pick the President

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Let the People Pick the President has a subtitle that sums up its content well: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College. In this insightful book, Jesse Wegman explores the system that we use for electing the highest leader of the country. Although mayors, governors, senators, and other representatives are chosen by popular vote, the president is elected using a complicated system of electors based on, but not proportionally representative of, a given state’s population. Through an examination of the creation of this system at the time of the country’s founding, to a discussion of the current implications of the way the system works, Let the People Make the President presents a convincing case for moving to a popular vote election for president of the United States.

What I loved most:

Let’s be real here… does anyone actually understand the electoral college? Before reading this book, I was confident that I could explain the general way the electoral college works to a first grader… but also confident that I couldn’t explain satisfactorily to a high school student why two out of the last six presidents did not win the popular vote. The concept of a popular vote made sense to me, since it works for literally every other position we elect in this country, but I didn’t understand the electoral college enough to be able to make a solid argument for abolishing it. Wegman makes this seemingly-complex topic accessible to a wide audience. Even if you are pro-electoral college, this would be an interesting read for the exploration of the Constitution’s creation alone. It’s definitely worth your time!

Read this book if you like:

Politics, thinking through long-standing ways of doing things, democracy, learning from history

Book details:

Sisters in Hate

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

The alt-right, or the white nationalist movement, is the contemporary arm of the movement that has its roots in the KKK and other racist groups. Proponents of this movement proudly proclaim that white people are superior to any other racial or ethnic group, and that America should be for white people only. While men are the primary leaders in this movement, as most white nationalists also believe that men should lead and women should be supporters, women are a key component of the continuing success and growth of the movement. Journalist Seyward Darby introduces readers to three women who have been in the past or are currently white nationalists: Corinna Olsen, Ayla Stewart, and Lana Loketeff.

What I loved most:

I read this shortly after finishing White Fragility (check out my review here), and it was a fascinating juxtaposition. Both books centered around whiteness as a concept, and the question of what it means to be a white person in today’s day and age. It feels vaguely weird to say I loved Sisters in Hate? But honestly, it was one of the most captivating books I have read this year so far. One of my favorite things is to hear from people about why they make the decisions that they make, how their attitudes have formed over the years, and all that other fascinating stuff that makes them who they are. The white nationalist movement is so hardcore, so extreme – and it was fascinating to hear about how these women came to hold such radical beliefs.

Read this book if you like:

Sociology and group dynamics, psychology, anti-racism, doing a deep-dive into people’s thoughts and behaviors

Book details:

  • Author: Seyward Darby
  • Publisher: Little Brown and Company
  • Date of Publication: July 21, 2020
  • Interest Level: Adult
  • Look up Sisters on Hate on WorldCat to find it at a library near you!

White Fragility

~ rachelbenzine ~ 1 Comment

Plot:

The subtitle of this book is “why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism”, and I think that sums up this book so well. White Fragility looks at the concept of whiteness in America, and how whiteness and racism interact. Most white people don’t grow up talking about race, and how race shapes their world; most people of color do. This book addresses why we as white people are so uncomfortable talking about race, why we get so defensive when it’s brought up, and what we can do to change the way we think about and talk about race.

What I loved most:

I’ve been doing a lot of reading this year about the experiences of people of color in America – check out my list of stellar anti-racist books here. I think it’s crucial for white people to listen to people of color, and to learn from them whenever possible. However, we also have to look at ourselves, and what it means to be white in America in 2020. White Fragility is a super complicated book, and it’s definitely going to challenge the way that you think about race and about your own complicity in America’s structural racism. But it’s worth the effort, friends.

Read this book if you like:

Analyzing your own attitudes and beliefs, personal growth, anti-racism, sociology

Book details: