Structure

This book is divided into eight chapters, and each chapter focuses on a different aspect of inequality in the United States. There are some overlaps of theme, concept, and information between chapters, but each chapter utilizes its own distinct lens of analysis. For example, “Caste” focuses mostly on economic inequality, but it also examines how economic and racial inequality intersect in U.S. society. Racial inequality is an important concept in most or all of the chapters. Moreover, each chapters functions to in some way expand or build upon the ideas presented in previous chapters. The framing rhetorical device of the overall book is that citizenship is supposed to grant equality in the U.S., but it often egregiously fails to do so.

Notably, Lalami uses a mixture of different rhetorical and narrative devices to advance her arguments in the book. For example, she consults history, accounts...