A powerful recollection and restructuring of American history, The Sum of Us is momentous in its enforcement of how race is central and the root of America’s historical founding to modern-day. Heather McGhee’s journey across the US to uncover the necessary truths of how systemic racism is embedded still in politics to policy to housing and food security to voting to shared public resources. Accessible in research and analysis, McGhee doesn’t shy from including her narrative flair. Less of an academic thesis, McGhee relates to the reader with her own experiences, making it feel conversational without loosing its educative framework.

From theory to interviewing American’s nationally, The Sum of Us centralizes and reinforces how racism never only affects, harms, violates, or limits its intended sum. Examining different aspects of how white supremacy reclassifies the same issues under a different pen name, McGhee blows through the liberal propagandized argument that class is our collective unification. Through historical inspection and some introspection, McGhee provides a steady framework that class, polarizing politics, and public accessibility are the by-product of systemic racism, while encouraging the reader to examine their own understanding and unknown investment.

What I really enjoyed was how McGhee keeps community at the forefront; the continued understanding that while race is a social construct, we all struggle, suffer, interact under its assumption—and yet, it’s also something that unites us. Not just in her exploring the origins of racism, I found McGhee’s interviews with different US citizens the most revealing in her analysis and a shining, glaring light at the depth and breadth of word systemic. When we bluntly examine the wealth pay gap to access in education or secure housing to exploitation in political rights and voting, though our experience may differ, the purpose and harmful result is the same. The glaring truth that none of the powerful and violent systems exist or operate without white supremacy. And our acknowledgement, investment, activism, and healing cannot unite and fight for us all without the whole.

(ARC) Corporate Samurai in Earth Colony Does One Last Mission

That's the whole story. :D

The book takes place on a planet, hundreds of years away from earth, which humans are terraforming so that the planet is livable. It's been about five hundred years since the planet has lost contact with the earth, and since then they've just been trucking along all by them selves. The whole planet is controlled by the Corporation. The people in power live up to 150 years, while workers are lucky to hit 50. Why? Because if they aren't working. They must retire. And to retire, means you walk out into the part of the planet unprotected, no bubble. According to the summary, the story follows Isako, who is essentially a samurai for hire.

All of this sounds interesting, but the pacing is very slow.. and as soon as it picks up, there is a sudden POV shift which takes over for a significant part of the book. I drew a little graph see comments.

I think there just wasn't enough in the story to really move me or keep me really invested in any of the characters. Isako does go through somewhat of a character arc, but it is no where near as critical or revolutionary as I'd like. She essentially goes from parroting Corporation propaganda, to just not... doing that. I think I just felt like I wanted something more, but also there was too much in the first place.

On the plus side, Isako is 50! (or 53 in Earth years)

Many thanks to Netgalley and Orbit books for an ARC of this book.