Tag Archives: Caste System

The Velvet Rope Economy, by Nelson D. Schwartz

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“The rise of the Velvet Rope Economy marks an end to the great democratization of American life in the post-World War II era.”

What is the Velvet Rope? The Velvet Rope is a system that uses class segregation to help businesses profit. Think of the fast pass systems at theme parks that only certain family groups can afford. Or the better seats at a sporting event. Or education. Why are businesses profiting from class segregation? How did we get here?

There are tons of examples for everything this book states. You will be familiar with most of them if you have lived in the U.S. for most of your life. If you have not, this might be a big eye opener. Different treatment, benefits, and price discrimination due to socioeconomic status is proven in airline services, theme parks, sporting events, health care, and education to name a few that are used as examples in this book. “It favors the people who have the money…”

The first part of the book is about the super elite that are “inside” of the Velvet Rope (5%-54% on a Kindle), and the second half is about those “outside” of the Velvet Rope (54%-83% on a Kindle). Exclusivity, social brain hypothesis, soft benefits vs. hard benefits, situational inequality, Pareto optimality, and class segregation are used to support the ideology behind the Velvet Rope Economy.

“…people will be left out of the economic system as more and more information accumulates.”

It only focuses on the present and what that looks like right now. It does state that we are headed to a caste system but goes into no further details.
This is a well researched book that is accessible to the average reader.

Visit author Jason Schwartz website to learn more about his book.

Read Publisher’s Weekly review for The Velvet Rope Economy.

Read the New York Times article written by Jason Schwartz covering The Velvet Rope Economy.

Visit his page at Penguin Random House.

Follow Nelson Schwartz on Twitter.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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The Bookseller of Kabul, by Asne Seierstad

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The story starts out with the chapter “The Proposal” in which Sultan Khan, the bookseller, feels that he is ready for a new wife although he already has one. And while Afghan customs permit more than one wife, some of his family are against his decision. The author concentrates on Sultans decision and the effects it has on his family. The reader is taken inside the head of the first wife, Sharifa, and his new young bride. Through their voices, we see a glimpse of the caste system. 

“A wedding is like a small death.” 

While emphasizing Afghanistan customs through the tangled emotions that the family experiences because of Sultans marriage decision, its culture is revealed through the occurrences in the bookshop. With Mansur Khan working in his father’s bookshop, the reader sees a colorful and vibrant city that sometimes weeps for its people. He sees the effects of war surrounding them and craves a different reality. 

Though not nonfiction, I still found the information and story enticing. The author writes with a journalists touch and has an affinity for incorporating political thought through the dialogue. The Foreword at the beginning of this book explains how the author ended up living with the Khan family in Kabul. It is a must read before beginning the story since the story is based on real events and people, although considered a work of fiction. 

Being only 288 pages, it is a short read for those pressed with time.

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The Kurdish Bike, by Alesa Lightbourne

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The Kurdish Bike is the narrative account of an American teacher’s journey to Kurdish Iraq. Although entering Iraq as a teacher, Theresa leaves having learned more than expected. 
On her journey, she immerses the readers into the Kurdish culture. It takes Theresa a while to adapt to the new environment and culture, but after purchasing a bike she is able to acclimate more rapidly. 

To her surprise, she experiences but a small taste of the caste system primarily through a Kurdish woman that she becomes friends with. Theresa seeks to help her new friend but understands she must respect the rules of her friend’s home; and as an American woman has a hard time swallowing what she must accept. Her local friends are not always making the best decisions, and Theresa must watch as they reap the consequences. As a teacher in this foreign land, her career is tested, and character threatened.

So, it is only after her divorce that Theresa signs up to teach abroad in Iraq. I did not care for her anecdotal divorce history. At moments throughout her account in Iraq, she has moments of pining for her old life with her husband, and recounts details in her divorce often. It was not pertinent to the story of her life with Kurds and it took away from the culture of the book.

Although fictitious, this work is based upon the author’s time and experiences in Kurdish Iraq. The Author’s Afterward is a must read as the author briefly explains important events that transpired during her time there. A glossary is included in the back as a reference to the Arabic words, names, and phrases that were used in the book.
I highly enjoyed this novel and recommend it to those with multicultural interests.

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The Space Between Us, by Thrity Umrigar

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This story focuses on three women in India and the caste system.

The reader is quickly made aware that the young teenage granddaughter, Maya, is pregnant out of wedlock and lives with her grandmother, Bhima. No one knows who the father is. Through her pregnancy, which is considered a big problem, the author takes you on a journey through the struggles of different classes in India are revealed– Bhima retells the story of her life through the challenges of poor social status. While Sera, a high class elite that Bhima works for, experiences her own conflicts within her life as a result of endogamy. Then there is Maya, who has to decide between education or work shortly after her abortion.

The author has a gift for manipulating words and language that you will not experience with anyone else. Note-This novel entails physical abuse, abortion, alcoholism, rape, and other topics that would be recommended only for mature readers.

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