In the wake of the...

...George Zimmerman trial, it's worth recommending -- again -- The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson. I can honestly say, it changed my life. Or, at least, the way I look at black people.

(I've written about it here and here.)

If you're white and grew up in the suburbs, like me, you're probably only vaguely aware of the horrible experience that black Americans have had. But if, again like me, you have relatives who say things like, "The Irish had it pretty bad, too," then you need to read this book. You really need to read this book. Because, no matter who you are, your family's history was nothing like this.

(And, by the way, it's very readable; not something you have to slog through. Everyone to whom I've recommended it has thanked me.)

Next on my reading to-do list is The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander. It's supposed to be great.