Guerrilla Readers, April 2025

CASTE in the news--and in our daily lives

Returning friends: Hello again and thank you for coming back for more discussion of the fourth in our series of definitely-not-escapist books. You are brave!

New friends: In this group, we are reading guerrilla writers who challenge what we think we know about the world we live in—books that help us understand how we got where we are today. Difficult reading, to be sure, often uncomfortable, painful, even deeply troubling. But we have to know what this world is like (really like) before we can recalibrate and move forward. And understanding can leave us both grateful and hopeful, even as we grope through the terrifying dark.

Everybody: You’ll find my earlier thoughts and some earlier discussion here (“Introducing Caste”) and also here (“Some thoughts on Caste, Democracy Awakening, and Jesus & John Wayne.”) You can find current updates on the Notes tab (on my navigation bar) and in your Home Feed. These are observations on connections between the books we read and current events reported in the media, as well as other things I want to share with you—and can’t wait until the next post.

Guerrilla authors making news

The Guardian recently posted an excellent investigative piece on the potential effects of Trump’s appointment of White Christian Nationalists to key positions in his administration, and the likely impact on the First Amendment’s separation of church and state. Kristin Du Mez, author of Jesus & John Wayne, is interviewed for the post. About the appointments, Du Mez says: “It’s a pretty narrow slice of rightwing, predominantly . . . white conservative Protestantism.” Katherine Stewart, author of Money, Lies, and God, predicts: “We will see public funds flowing directly to religious institutions, and the insertion of the Bible and sectarian messaging in public schools, town meetings and other places that serve religiously diverse populations.” See my recent “Guerrilla Extra” review of Stewart’s book here. And watch the news for daily examples of White Christian Nationalists inserting their beliefs into all levels of our government.

Heather Cox Richardson is currently hosting a video chat (with helpful transcript), answering topical and timely questions submitted by her readers. You can find that here.

Prequel’s paperback edition just been published and Rachel Maddow has announced a schedule of events to discuss the book. Some events are already sold out, so if you want to see Maddow in person, better book early. She’s a dynamic speaker, and her book talks are always informed by the latest headlines.

In Caste, Isobel Wilkerson points out how important it is for caste to be “invisible.” To that end, the Trump administration is erasing all traces of DEI from our public records. Just one example of how people are fighting back: “Students at Pentagon Schools Sue Hegseth Over Book Bans on Race and Gender.” The banned books included Maya Angelou’s celebrated autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and many titles relating to race and LGBTQ+ rights. (But Mein Kampf is still on the shelf.)

Some questions for our discussion of Caste

Here are some of the questions we’ve been considering—and I know you have others. Please join the continuing discussion of this book. It’s open to you whenever you have something to add.