Oprah Winfrey hosts conversations around “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents"

By Isabel Wilkerson, exclusively on Apple TV+

“The Oprah Conversation: Caste” two-part episode to premiere on Friday, October 9

“Oprah’s Book Club” episode “Isabel Wilkerson: Caste” premiered for free on Friday, October 2

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To spotlight her most important Book Club selection ever, Oprah Winfrey hosts in-depth conversations with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and bestselling author Isabel Wilkerson about her latest book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” exclusively on Apple TV+.

On Friday, October 2, “Oprah’s Book Club” will feature Winfrey speaking with Wilkerson for a detailed discussion around the history the book explores. Calling the book “a must-read for all of humanity,” Winfrey asks Wilkerson what compelled her to write it and why we need a new language for race. The episode will be available for free on Apple TV+.

Then on Friday, October 9, “The Oprah Conversation” dives in deeper to discuss the themes of the book in a two-part episode on Apple TV+, as Winfrey and Wilkerson come together for an inspiring conversation about truth, reflection and hope for humanity. In “Caste: Part 1,” Winfrey, Wilkerson and a panel of readers discuss the concept that America is built on a caste system. “Caste: Part 2” continues the conversation as readers share stories of how the themes explored in Wilkerson's book resonate with their lives and experiences.

To accompany the “Oprah’s Book Club” episode, Apple Books and Oprah’s Book Club present “Read With Us: Caste, An Oprah’s Book Club Discussion Guide,” available for free on Apple Books. The discussion guide includes an introductory letter from Oprah herself, an inspiring Q&A with Isabel Wilkerson, questions to prompt self-reflection and important discussions, and recommended reads for anyone wanting to learn more about the topics and history explored in “Caste.”

Readers who want to go even deeper into the world of the book can listen to the newly launched “Oprah’s Book Club” podcast, available now for free on Apple Podcasts. This eight-episode series explores the eight pillars of caste with Wilkerson.

In partnership with Apple, the Oprah’s Book Club selection, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” is available now on Apple Books in both ebook and audiobook formats, and customers can enjoy it across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and CarPlay.

About

About “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” (Penguin Random House)
Drawing parallels between the caste systems of America, India and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson outlines a revolutionary framework for understanding how caste plays out across civilizations, both historically and today. Backed by years of research, she identifies eight ideological pillars that underlie all caste systems. Using riveting stories from the lives of Martin Luther King Jr., baseball's Satchel Paige, an ordinary single father and his toddler son, and many others, Wilkerson shows how the insidious undertow of caste is experienced by each of us every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their debasement of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.

Publisher Penguin Random House calls “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” a masterful portrait of the unspoken caste system that has shaped America. Through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, Wilkerson explores how America has been defined by a rigid hierarchy of human rankings throughout its history and even today.

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Source Apple TV+