For once, a book about the racial history and present of the United States forced me to understand the depth of wrongness and ills in this country. Growing up an African immigrant in America, and having grown closer with my Black identity over the years, I could tell what was obvious racism but could not understand why. How it was that as a child my white peers and friends could make disparaging comments despite "knowing" me, how they could look at me and make judgements and assumptions on their own despite years of friendship.

I will not say that by reading this book, anyone and everyone will suddenly know exactly what to do to remedy our discontents, but Wilkerson's message of hope at the end of the book, as well as her own relaying of her experiences up until this point in history points towards a certain hope that we can prevail the poisonous history that is America. It will be a struggle, it will be a challenge, but we can and will overcome this history. The only question is who is willing to join that venture.