The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
Author: Heather McGhee
Genre: Nonfiction, Social Science
Publication Date: 2021
Introduction
Sociologist and political commentator Heather McGhee (born 1980) describes her journey across the United States. It is a journey both geographical—McGhee traveled from California to Mississippi to Maine—and of the mind as McGhee sought to answer the question “Why can’t we have nice things?” During her journey, McGhee spoke with people of many different races and backgrounds, from factory workers in Mississippi to ex-convicts in Florida to Somali immigrants in Maine to low-wage workers in Kansas City. She asked them about race and related opinions. In this book, the product of that journey, McGhee writes about what she believes Americans need to do to better themselves as a society by working together.
Essay Samples
Insightful Essays for Students