My parents gave me the book, When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives, by Heather Mac Donald. After hearing a lecture by Mac Donald about the book, I was eager to read it.
Structure of the book
Although statistical data are woven throughout, the book is easy enough to read. After an introductory chapter, Mac Donald walks the reader through three parts, grouped together by category.
The first part, “Science and Medicine” (pages 31–67), addresses the implications of “disparate impact” that has had on scientific and medical research. Mac Donald documents the negative results of DEI on these fields and the conjunctures the future if this trend is maintained.
The second part, “Culture and Arts” (pages 71–206), demonstrates the interaction of DEI with art and music. Mac Donald discusses multiple examples of the detrimental impact DEI is having on these fields as well.
The third part, “Law and Order” (pages 209–272), interacts with crimes, criminals, and several statistical studies. As with parts 1 and 2, this section weaves statistical data throughout without bogging the reader down with the details.
brief comments
This is not meant to be an exhaustive review of Mac Donald’s work. I am sure you can find those in other places. However, I do want to share some of my own thoughts about the book.
First, I enjoyed Mac Donald’s style. She does a great job of discussing statistical information without losing readability. Books of this nature tend to lean toward readability or deep statistical analysis. She combines the two well.
The second thought I had reading this book is how differently people can view the world. Reading some of the quotes by others in Mac Donald’s book is, at times, depressing. The negativity, double standards, lack of care and compassion, and hate are a sad reality of the United States at present. I suppose this should to surprise me (a biblical view of humanity helps remind us of our sinfulness), but it does.
A third thought I had while reading Mac Donald’s book is the need for consistency. She decries the use of anecdotal evidence on behalf of the left (and rightly so), but then uses some from the right. It would certainly strengthen Mac Donald’s work (which, in my view, is already strong) if she were to be consistent in this matter.
conclusion
Overall, I recommend the book. It is an easier read, culturally important, and anchored in facts and reality (all lacking in today’s public discourse).
The Library Musings 